A notoriously anti-truck safety lobbying organization is going all out to oppose the nomination of Joseph Clapp as the leader of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
but the trucking industry is moving quickly to fight these efforts.
The Citizens For Reliable And Safe Highway (CRASH) is urging its members to oppose final confirmation of the former Roadway executive as administrator, whose nomination needs only final approval of the full Senate.
Last week Clapp’s nomination sailed through the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Lawmakers dispensed with the usual formalities in order to address the more compelling issue of aviation security in the wake of the attack on the United States on Sept. 11. And that caught the ire of the group.
CRASH leaders are pushing members to contact their senators and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to oppose the nomination. CRASH has attacked Clapp’s creditability in an “Urgent Action Alert” email sent to members.
"This action was taken without any public hearing or substantive input from the safety community," says the alert. "Due to Mr. Clapp's background we have grave reservations about his ability to objectively lead this agency."
The group claims that Roadway Express "consistently encourages commercial drivers to violate Hours of Service rules and regulations" and says Clapp was "openly hostile to safety groups critical of commercial carriers" when he was CEO of Roadway Express.
While it is doubtful that CRASH, known for its often controversial anti-truck stance, will succeed, the nation’s biggest trucking group is taking no chances.
The American Trucking Associations is urging its members to “immediately contact their U.S. senators and call for a quick vote on the confirmation of Joseph Clapp as administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.”