To: Congressman Jim Jordan, Chairman of the Judicial Committee
Congress Must Investigate the FMCSA
The North American Trucking Alliance (NATA) wants the office of Congressman Jim Jordan to bring forth a Judicial Committee investigation on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The NATA and its member groups feel that the FMCSA has not acted in the best interest of driver safety and the public, and could be in violation of Transportation Policy as prescribed in 49 USC 13101 and 49 USC 13904 (e) Regulation to Protect Motor Carriers and Shippers. Also, we feel that the FMCSA may be a captured agency.
The FMCSA must be investigated and held accountable for enforcing safety practices, and regulations reviewed for efficacy.
We want a Self Regulatory Organization (SRO) that best serves the trucking industry.
Why is this important?
The North American Trucking Alliance (NATA) has found that the FMCSA does not recognize economic conditions prescribed by “Transportation Policy''. This leads to a deleterious effect on public safety. The FMCSA has allowed potentially unfair and destructive practices within the trucking industry. This causes financial strains on small independent carriers, which leads to supply chain issues. Drivers are working under increasingly unsafe conditions, and have struggled with the rising cost of living. Excessively long detention time at docks and poor hours of service rules cause more idle time, affecting drivers and consumers alike. Poor utilization of trucks leads to undercapacity for shipping demands, introducing more greenhouse gasses into the environment, and creating safety issues for all drivers.
We find that former administrators and high-ranking employees accept post-government work. with autonomous vehicle truck manufacturers and other positions for lobbying. This raises concerns for a conflict of interest. How do we trust a regulatory agency when its former members work for private companies with special interests in that agency, or the U.S. DOT? These people established working relationships with agency employees, which must be stopped.
Many regulations created by the FMCSA favor corporate interests. Such as the hours of service rules, electronic logging device regulations, Speed Limiters, and claiming preemption over California’s “Meals and Rest Breaks” laws. The NATA believes that the FMCSA is acting like a captured agency.
There are far too many issues to list. Your support in this action will help protect drivers' lives, create stronger economic growth in the United States, limit greenhouse gasses in the environment, and reduce the cost of living for American consumers.
