Rep. Frank Wolf, R-VA, has once again introduced legislation to move the Office of Motor Carriers from the Federal Highway Administration to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It was working with the trucking industry to lobby against the same proposal last year that got senior OMC officials into hot water recently, leading to a shakeup in OMC leadership.
In announcing his new legislation, Wolf cited the investigation that found this improper activity, as well as a separate investigation that found border states aren’t doing a good job of inspecting Mexican trucks coming into the country.
“Trucks can be dangerous,” Wolf said. “Many, if not most, of the truckers and trucking companies operating in America today are safe. But when a truck is involved in an accident on the highway, regardless of who was at fault, the consequences are often deadly.
“The Federal Highway Administration does a very good job at what they do – maintaining and building America’s highway infrastructure. However, the Office of Motor Carriers would operate better in an agency focused on highway safety and enforcement, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
The House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, which Wolf chairs, will be holding hearings on the issue Feb. 23.
In addition, Rep. Bud Shuster, chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Tom Petri, chairman of the Subcommittee on Ground Transportation, start hearings this Thursday, Feb. 11, on the status of motor carrier safety and the effectiveness of the Office of Motor Carriers – including whether the OMC should be transferred to NHTSA.