WASHINGTON, DC—Bus operators that blatantly and repeatedly disregard federal safety laws should have their operating authority revoked or suspended, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) said in comments filed today in support of a new rule proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
“With the rise of unsafe bus carriers that under previous Administrations managed to evade federal safety regulators, we have made it a priority to remove bad actors in the bus industry from our roads,” said TTD President Edward Wytkind. “This crack down will lead to safer bus transportation for the American people.”
The proposed rule sets procedures to suspend or revoke the operating authority of bus carriers that demonstrate a pattern of willful disregard for safety regulations, and establishes stiffer penalties for noncompliance. The rule also goes after those ordered out-of-service by the DOT from simply re-applying for operating authority under a new name, a common practice according to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro.
Wytkind told the FMCSA: “TTD and our affiliates have long argued for increasing enforcement of federal safety regulations and cracking down on motor carriers that try to evade compliance.”
In May 2012 the FMCSA ordered 26 curbside bus operators (those that pick up and drop off on city streets, not from an established bus terminal) to discontinue service because of their threat to public safety. FMCSA found that each carrier had committed several offenses.
“Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Administrator Ferro have again demonstrated that improving transportation safety has been the top priority on their watch,” said Wytkind, “particularly by proposing rules that will strengthen operating and enforcement standards and ensure that unsafe bus operators are taken off the road.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 31 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, motor carrier, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit us at ttd.org or on Facebook and Twitter.
Contact: Jennifer Michels, jenniferm@ttd.org, 703.395.2195