The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the appointment of a new chairman, vice chairman and five additional members to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC). The agency called new MCSAC chairman Stephen C. Owings “the first representative from the safety advocacy community to be named chairman of the MCSAC. ”
Owings and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America in 2003 after their son, Cullum, was tragically killed in 2002 when struck by a tractor-trailer. Owings replaces Dave Parker of Great West Casualty Co. as chairman. Parker had served as MCSAC chairman since its inception in 2007.
Lientenant Colonel Scott G. Hernandez of the Colorado State Patrol was appointed vice chairman. Hernandez is the interim chief of the Colorado State Patrol and will become MCSAC chairman upon the conclusion of Owings’ two-year term.
Established by Congress in 2006, the MCSAC is charged with providing information, advice and recommendations to FMCSA on safety programs and regulations for large trucks and commercial buses; it’s composed of stakeholders from the motor carrier safety advocacy, safety enforcement, labor and industry communities.
The following five new MCSAC members will begin their terms on April 1, 2013.
- Gary Catapano, senior vice president of safety, First Student Inc.
- Bruce Hamilton, president, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1700
- Robert Mills, police officer, Fort Worth (TX) Police Department
- Donald Osterberg, senior vice president of safety and security, Schneider National
- Tami Friedrich Trakh, board member, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH)
Additionally, FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro reappointed the following members to the committee.
- LaMont Byrd, director of health and safety, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Norman (Bill) Dofflemyer, captain, Maryland State Police
- John Lannen, executive director, Truck Safety Coalition
- Jane Mathis, member, board of directors, Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.)
- Pete Pantuso, president and chief executive officer, American Bus Association
- David Parker, senior legal counsel, Great West Casualty Co.
- Danny Schnautz, operations manager, Clark Freight Lines, Inc.
- Todd Spencer, executive vice president, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
The next MCSAC meeting is scheduled for April 8-10, 2013, at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, 1767 King Street, Alexandria, Va. For an agenda, check the Committee’s website in the coming weeks.
