Washington Notebook
Jackson Steps Down From DOT
By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor
Michael P. Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, left DOT at the end of July. Jackson had been in the post since May 2001, a period that included tumultuous events for the trucking industry and the nation: a final hours of service rule, preparation for cross-border trucking with Mexico and, most significant, the effort to secure the national transportation system against terrorist attack.
Jackson was renowned at DOT for his work ethic. He was once described as "blowing through a hurricane with his hair on fire," in reference to his leadership in the effort to create an entire federal agency - the Transportation Security Administration - in a matter of months following the Sept. 11 attacks.
He said he is leaving DOT in order to spend more time with his family, and he plans to pursue a business opportunity in transportation.
Jackson is known in trucking circles for his work with Pre-Pass, formerly a unit of Lockheed Martin IMS. Prior to joining Lockheed in 1997, he was senior vice president and counselor to the president at American Trucking Assns.
In other DOT news:
• The Truckload Carriers Assn. added its voice to the chorus of concern about the new hours of service requirement that a driver must stop driving 14 hours after coming on duty.
The daily hours provision of the new rule is much less flexible than the current rule. Now, a driver may not drive after 15 hours logged as "on duty" - but "off-duty" time for meals or other breaks is not part of the calculation. The new rule stops driving time 14 consecutive hours from when the work day began, no matter how the time is logged. The safety agency said this restriction is necessary because driver performance degrades significantly in the later stages of a work shift.
TCA joined private carriers, including Wal-Mart Stores, in petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to change the requirement to14 cumulative hours.
• Annette M. Sandberg has been sworn in as the new administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
President Bush nominated Sandberg in March and the Senate confirmed her on July 31.
Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said, "She has shown leadership in dealing with key issues within the department and is an especially able champion of our goal to improve truck and bus safety."
Mineta appointed Sandberg as deputy administrator of the FMCSA in November 2002. She had been serving as acting administrator of the FMCSA since December 2002.
Washington Report continued...
