CVSA, FMCSA Combine Conferences to Save Lives

WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will hold the CVSA Annual Conference together with the FMCSA Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) Leadership Conference to provide a collective forum to discuss timely issues pertinent to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety. The conference will be held on March 24-30, 2007 in Atlanta.

"Coordinating our conferences sends a clear message to the CMV community that our organizations are committed to work more closely to improve state, provincial and federal efforts to save lives on our highways, as well as to create the best opportunity for returning on the investments granted by the U.S. Congress and state and provincial legislatures for the best use of our tax dollars," said CVSA's Executive Director Stephen F. Campbell.

  Some of the subjects to be discussed include:

  -- Vehicle-related issues including results of the 2006 Brake Safety
     Symposium, cargo securement harmonization, disc brake and ABS
     technologies, and wheel bearing seal leakage issues;
  -- Transportation security issues such as Corporate Security Reviews,
     training, TWIC and REAL ID Act, cargo seals and vehicle disabling
     technologies;
  -- Driver related issues such as electronic on board recorders,
     CDLIS/NLETS integration, speed and speed limiters, hours of service,
     traffic enforcement and safety belt initiatives;
  -- Passenger carrying issues and concerns related to motorcoach and school
     bus transportation;
  -- Technology initiatives related to safety enhancing vehicle-based
     technology systems, next generation vehicle and infrastructure based
     technology programs, and information systems related to roadside
     inspections;
  -- Programmatic issues related to FMCSA's Comprehensive Safety Analysis
     for 2010 and COMPASS Programs, the recently announced U.S. DOT NAFTA
     Border Demonstration project, as well as CVSA's Roadcheck and Operation
     Air Brake Programs;
  -- Educational issues such as understanding the results from the Large
     Truck Crash Causation Study, how to use FMCSA's DataQs system and the
     Analysis and Information web site; and,
  -- Training issues include passenger vehicle inspection course updates,
     false CDL, HOS status and District Court of Appeals ruling, as well as
     reviewing the Program Manager's Course and National Transportation
     Safety Board's (NTSB) recommendations on automatic slack adjuster type
     brakes.

Several federal agencies will be participating in this event. In the U.S., in addition to FMCSA, the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and NTSB will be participating. In Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Council for Motor Transport Administrators will be participating. From Mexico, the Secretary for Communications and Transportation and Federal Preventative Police will be involved in the discussions.

"We intend to discuss the NAFTA Demonstration Project and hope it will spur constructive dialogue between all three countries to share best practices that will further improve safety, security, and regulatory harmonization," said Campbell. "We cannot emphasize enough the importance and necessity of coordination and training in the preparation for the demonstration project and for the opening of the border. The key to smooth, successful and uniform NAFTA implementation will be in the delivery of a comprehensive operations plan that includes federal, state and provincial partners in all three countries."

CVSA is an international not-for-profit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal motor carrier safety officials and industry representatives from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Our mission is to promote commercial motor vehicle safety and security by providing leadership to enforcement, industry and policy makers. In addition, CVSA has several hundred associate members who are committed to helping the Alliance achieve its goals; uniformity, compatibility and reciprocity of commercial vehicle inspections, and enforcement activities throughout North America by individuals dedicated to highway safety and security. For more on CVSA visit http://www.cvsa.org/.