The nation’s top trucking regulator told lawmakers she is committed to taking concrete steps to reduce deaths and injuries from large-truck crashes.
At her nomination hearing on Wednesday to be the seventh administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Meera Joshi, currently leading the agency as deputy administrator, was questioned by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., about what he considers a lack of oversight by FMCSA in addressing such crashes.
“I think it’s clear that this entire industry fell into a regulatory black hole, where it escaped the level of scrutiny which it absolutely has to have if public safety is going to be protected,” Markey told Joshi during testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.
Markey cited statistics showing that deaths resulting from large-truck crashes had increased by 45% since 2009, with injuries increasing 18%. He also said he was dissatisfied with the response he received from FMCSA after requesting more oversight from the agency last year in the wake of an investigative story on truck crashes by The Boston Globe.
“Unfortunately, the response I received back from the Trump administration was woefully insufficient,” Markey said. “It failed to commit to the major reforms we need, and showed how our truck safety regulators have been asleep at the wheel.”
Joshi, whom Biden named deputy administrator in January, told the committee that, if confirmed, she would oversee several “priority items” to address the issue.
“It’s an interstate industry, and the licensing data around those that drive large trucks must also function in an interstate manner. That means there needs to be swift transfer of current data between states around CDL licensing,” Joshi said, referring to a pending rulemaking in the “final months” of getting published.
It would also require states to downgrade licenses if there’s a positive test in the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, “another important enforcement tool to get risky drivers off the roads,” she said. Joshi said she wanted to accelerate adoption of the rule through grants and other incentives in cooperation with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Joshi also noted that FMCSA is looking to strengthen its new entrant program as well as broaden the scope of motor carrier investigations to target more at-risk behavior. “Motor carriers that have risky behavior need to be investigated, and when they come into the industry we need to have a closer eye on them.”
Supports port congestion relief
Asked what could be done to relieve congestion at the nation’s ports, particularly on the West Coast, Joshi said financial incentives had to be aligned throughout the supply chain.
“There are so many moving parts at the port, in order to make the trucking experience of moving freight in and out as efficiently as possible, there has to be transparency on appointment systems, flexible hours, and more certainty on when containers need to be dropped off and picked up, as well as aligning the financial incentives,” said.
“If the trucking community is bearing the brunt of wait times and that time is not compensated, either because they have to hold containers or because drivers have to wait for loading and unloading, then the congestion and the downtime is felt by them, and there’s no incentive to disperse that among the whole system.”
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., asked Joshi if she was open to expanding a demonstration program underway at the Port of Seattle that includes federal tax incentives to spur the adoption of electric vehicles. “We’ve been working in a certain way for many decades. I think it’s high time to try to change things and look at them differently,” Joshi said.
Defends driver privacy policy
During the only contentious part of her nomination hearing, Joshi was asked by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, to explain her rate-making policy and how she was protecting the privacy of independent contractor drivers working for ride-sharing companies while she was CEO of New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission from 2014 to 2019.
During Joshi’s tenure there, the commission collected vehicle and driver information that it used to develop policy around congestion and to establish minimum pay requirements.
“You don’t think this is an invasion of privacy for these individual drivers that are working with these companies?” Blackburn asked.
“The drivers themselves heartily support the effort because it was through this mandate on trip records and pay information that the city was able to support them in efforts to create minimum pay standards, allowing them to make at least minimum wage,” Joshi responded.
Ralph Sutton
ELD HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH ALL ACEDINTS DRIVING TO FAST,CHASING THE CLOCK, NOT PROPER SLEEP,EXTRA. BUT THEY DONT CARE…
Goran
I don’t understand all these rules against commercial drivers, because whatever happens it goes against commercial driver. Is there anybody to control this small cars on the road how ridiculous they drive how bad drivers are there in small cars cutting off these big trucks and that’s what caused most of the accidents. And other things American roads and highways intersections are ridiculous I mean this is ridiculous how bad our roads are India has better roads than United States. Also is there anybody to control those warehouses like shippers and receivers it can’t be blamed everything on commercial drivers we need our time to get somewhere so somebody needs to control warehouse people to , otherwise the problem will not be resolved . If we keep pressing the rules just against the drivers and the trucking companies I think we’re gonna be in big trouble looking for a drivers and the shortage of drivers is going to be raised up like sky high and our stores will be empty with the food and everything.
Malcolm Hayes
Politicians got into trucking and the drivers aren’t getting their worth. It’s these sinister road construction crews that are causing the accidents. The roads have grooved land mines and dips that pitch the trucks. Simply pay the drivers more so they run less. The Federal Reserve claims the sky will fall from Heaven if they are audited. I beg to differ. The sky will fall from heaven if CDL drivers took a week off. Just out of curiosity why was the union forced out of trucking.
Just me
Why do want so many refs on what human can do before thay drive
I’ve been driving for 43 years I have medical issues now and I can’t drive truck anymore
But I am able to if we didn’t have so many refs on medical I would pull myself out of a truck if I needed to for my health
But no you the government tell me what’s is can do
Yea I could jump thrue all your hoops and still do it but why
Its is costly to do so
To get wavers and so time consuming
Refs are fine but when it come to the human aspect
There no leeway.
I can’t even get disabilities
Because I can’t do what’s is have done all my adult life drive a commercial truck cross country
I have four million long miles safe miles
So tell me what’s do you really know about the human and life the truck driver has
Stop trying to make a name for your own agenda
Has any of you politicians every truly ever driven a truck
And mean really driven a truck take them time get your Commercial drivers license and drive from cost to cost and back
Then step in and really look at all regulation and start over
But I no we the commercial truck driver know won’t
You can get the idea the real idea what it takes
To be a drive truck
Bryan Allen Freudeman
Another egghead that knows absolutely anything about the industry. Politicians and special interest groups like MATT suck and they are the reason that the industry now sucks. Everyone from the President on down need to shut their pie hole, because they know absolutely nothing. ASK EXPERIENCED TRUCKERS! Common sense.
Robert Schaaf
you got that right!
Robert Mackey
You are 100% correct
Rodney Johnson
Most all drivers will agree more regulations and rules is not needed in fact some need to be tossed out completely . Commercial truck drivers are the most micro managed group of professionals in the Untied States . To lessen crashes and wrecks is to increase pay and I mean by a lot increase by 40 to 50% across the board and put government programs in place to help new owner operators get their first truck to get quality drivers back in the trucks you have to put the money there no one wants to do this job for the pay it’s not enough but the nation has to have people in that seat and to get drivers that are professionals you have to pay them the ATA is going to allow
18 year old on the highway and you have people behind the wheel that have problems tying their own shoes or dressing them selves most don’t know you have a lot of people holding the steering wheel on a 80,000 lb 65mpg wreck in motion yes the American highways are getting deadlier by the day you have aging truck drivers in their mid 70s the last of a dying breed it takes 3 new drivers to replace one retiring driver a job with 90% turnover rate and listed in the top 10 most deadliest jobs in America to make the highways safe and lower the turn over rate and have drivers to pick from bring quality professional dedicated drivers you have to pay for the best to get the best treat us as professionals so pay us like the professionals you will come out miles ahead keeping the same drivers in your trucks it’s better to pay more that to keep hiring and having to rehire some companies are having to pay people to get them to come to an interview now something is wrong with that picture if given the chance to prove I’m right to any trucking company that I can hire the best top quality professional Drivers that will line up to interview for chance to come to work with your company I have 38 years of working and watching the downward spiral of people that have the I Q the Drive , Dedication and professionalism the gap widens about the same rate as crashes with the people that are true professionals leaving the and the ones coming in that will never be the dedicated professional driver equal to the ones leaving
Robert Mackey
Well said
Pao Vang
Cell phone is the cause of most of these crashes. Every vehicle’s and big trucks that I drive by on the road the person behind the wheels on there damn cell phone. Get a more better law on these cell phones user behind the wheels. I say the person that is using there cell phone while driving should get jail time (Not coupe off days) and also a bigger fine.
Levoy Hemphill
My only comment being a former driver is they make it sound with all the statistics that the commercial driver was the one automatically at fault.They make no mention of how many of those accidents were caused by the professional drivers and how many were caused by the driver of the car. I don’t disagree with improved driver safety, but I also believe the driver of the non-commercial driver should be held to just as high of standard when they are the ones at fault.