Peter Hurst, president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, was the guest speaker at the National Press Club's Transportation Table luncheon in Washington, D.C. last week.

He told transportation that, for the fourth consecutive year, the annual 72-hour Roadcheck 2003 showed an increase in roadside inspectors' productivity, including a 10.4% increase in Level One inspections over those conducted in Roadcheck 2002. He also reported the continuing decline in out-of-service rates and the fatality rate for crashes involving commercial vehicles.
In his remarks about safety accomplishments, Hurst said, "The single greatest contributing factor to these safety improvements has been the effort of the more than 10,000 CVSA-certified front-line inspectors throughout North America."
While many of his comments related to commercial vehicle safety and CVSA's goal to reduce crashes and injuries, Hurst said. "We are facing changes and new challenges." He mentioned the increased emphasis on security, new legislation and tighter budgets that strain U.S. and Canadian commercial vehicle enforcement programs.
"Our members look to CVSA more than ever for support and training as they attempt to meet the demands on dwindling resources," he said. "It is definitely a challenge for both countries to facilitate the efficient movement of goods and people across the border while, at the same time, ensuring safety and security."
In closing, Hurst said, "We are facing changes we had not expected. But we're dealing with them. As we face these and other challenges, our tradition will provide firm footing as we stretch, explore and probe to the edges of the envelope to find new ways to advance our cause -- an environment free of commercial vehicle accidents and incidents."