Bus, truck safety bill introduced in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON—A new bus and truck safety bill was introduced in the United States Senate to improve commercial motor vehicle safety standards.

The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act—introduced by U.S. Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and John D. Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee—reauthorizes the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and includes additional safety requirements for commercial truck and bus carriers, the senators said in a statement Thursday.

“We must do more to make sure large trucks and buses are not a threat on our roadways and are only operated by the most qualified drivers,” said Sen. Lautenberg in the statement. “This bill will give the Department of Transportation the tools to kick unsafe drivers and carriers out of the industry and keep America's roadways safe.”

The bill would require onboard recorders to be used on all trucks and buses used in interstate commerce, along with a registration process requiring applicants to pass a safety proficiency exam and a submission of a safety management plan as a precondition for operating authority.

The bill also would increase enforcement tools for the FMCSA to remove unsafe and unfit drivers and carriers from the industry, according to the statement.

“We need to make sure that only the safest people are allowed to operate large trucks and buses, and give the Department of Transportation the tools it needs to improve its oversight of the industry,” Sen. Rockefeller said in the statement. “I look forward to working with my colleagues as we continue to work to get this important bill enacted into law.”