The United States government is a complicated system. In a short summary relating to truckers, the president appoints the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, who then manages the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). It is a tall building where it may feel as though the limit of trucker input is voting for the president every four years. The FMCSA is changing things up a bit by creating a committee of truckers with a direct line to the FMCSA. Say hello to the MCSAC.
The MCSAC
The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, or MCSAC, was created by the FMCSA in an attempt to establish better relationships between industry and government.
“Truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators are American heroes who have stepped up during the current public health emergency to keep our economy moving, so their input is essential to strengthening safety on the roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The new committee announced is not actually the MCSAC, which was chartered in 2006, but instead a subcommittee. This subcommittee is within the MCSAC, which is within the FMCSA, which is within the DOT, which is within the executive branch of the federal government. Bureaucracy is weird.
Staying on point, the main contrast between the main committee and the subcommittee is that the primary part of the MCSAC is composed of all industry membership types (drivers, law, associations, etc.). The new group will be 20 to 25 members, made up of entirely drivers, representative of their type of hauling (tractor trailer, passenger, hazardous materials, etc.).
“The Department of Transportation and this Administration believe in listening to our drivers and hearing their concerns directly. We know that many of the solutions to the challenges we face don’t come from Washington—they come from the hard-working men and women who are behind the wheel all over our nation. This new subcommittee to MCSAC will further help us hear from America’s commercial drivers,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck.
Conclusion
At the time of writing there is little more known about the new group. We will inform you of any changes as time goes onward.
What are your thoughts on this new subcommittee? Is it a good way for regulators to hear driver voices, or is it just more bureaucracy that may slow down the industry further? Let us know in the comments below.
