In response to a recent bus tragedy in New Orleans, a Louisiana senator has introduced legislation to improve motor carrier safety compliance reviews.

Earler this month, Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) introduced the Motor Carrier Safety Specialist Act. It would ensure that all inspectors performing compliance reviews on motor carriers are certified to a uniform standard and proficiency, and the information from these reviews is accessible to the public.
The legislation would create a training a certification program for Motor Carrier Specialists. The Motor Carrier Safety Specialist Certification Board would collect and verify current information on motor carriers. The bill also calls for a public education campaign to provide safety information on motor carrier to the public.
Breaux's bill is in response to a recent bus accident in Louisiana that killed 22 people. In 1996, Just four months after the Federal Highway Administration assigned the charter bus company a "satisfactory" rating, a private inspection company under contract with the Department of Defense failed the company for not having a drug and alcohol testing program.