FMCSA Seeks Planning Help with Injury Reduction in Mind
Three public listening sessions on Sept. 8 will help the agency hear from stakeholders, who have a chance to influence the agency's next five-year Strategic Plan.
Reducing road injuries and deaths in which motor carriers are involved is one of the first questions asked by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in its Monday announcement of three public listening sessions to be held Sept. 8. All three will allow stakeholders to weigh in as FMCSA develops its next five-year Strategic Plan; the agency also is accepting comments until Sept. 30.
The three sessions at the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol, 550 C St. SW in Washington, D.C., are:
- Safety Partners, 8 to 10 a.m.
- Industry Partners, 10 a.m. to noon
- Enforcement Partners, noon to 2 p.m.
Comments may be submitted via www.regulations.gov, identified by DOT Docket ID Number FMCSA-2010-0242.
The announcement said these are the key issues FMCSA hopes public comments will address; the agency asked that any document, study, or reference relevant to the issues be cited:
1. How should we strengthen FMCSA's role/mission of improving the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) and saving lives as it relates to some of FMCSA's core program: Commercial motor vehicle compliance and enforcement, commercial driver licensing, household goods protection, safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials?
2. How can FMCSA have a greater impact in the reduction of injury and loss of life on the nation's highways?
3. How can FMCSA improve the way it does business, provides customer service, and interacts with all road user groups? What are some of the challenges you have in interacting with FMCSA that prevent you from conducting your business effectively? What actions should FMCSA take to improve interactions between CMV drivers and drivers of private vehicles? Please identify possible improvements or ideas for doing better.
4. How might FMCSA improve or strengthen its partnership with stakeholders representing State enforcement agencies, safety advocacy groups, the motor carrier industry, and the general public to achieve its safety mission?
5. How should FMCSA balance driver-focused, vehicle-focused, and motor carrier-focused compliance, interventions, and enforcement to achieve its safety mission?
6. How will advanced vehicle technologies (such as crash avoidance, electronic on-board recorders, and global positioning systems) impact the future of driver behavior, vehicle safety, and motor carrier safety?
7. How will changes in the following areas impact the industry, your organization, and/or FMCSA's ability to achieve its mission in the future?
- Demographics
- Economics
- New policies in environment, energy, and other areas
8. What technological changes could positively impact highway safety?
9. How will technology affect driver behavior? What issues related to vehicle/driver interaction could affect safety performance?