Bush Nominates John Hill To Top FMCSA Post
By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor
President Bush nominated safety veteran John Hill to replace Annette Sandberg as the nation's top truck regulator.
Hill has been Chief Safety Officer at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration since 2003. Sandberg stepped down at the end of April.
Hill had clear sailing at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he hopes to get the nomination to the floor of the Senate before the end of June.
He faced some pointed questions from Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., on the agency's effectiveness, on national policy concerning triple trailers and on the agency's handling of the hours of service rule.
Lautenberg, a longtime advocate of tougher regulation, said that FMCSA has not been effective enough in improving truck safety and asked Hill what he would do if his nomination is approved.
Hill, a former officer in the Indiana State Police, replied that he has dedicated his professional life to traffic safety. He said he is committed to strong leadership at FMCSA, to erasing the backlog of pending rules and to holding agency executives accountable for results. He also said he believes strongly that an effective truck and bus safety program requires cooperation and communication between the federal agency and the states.
Lautenberg has been a staunch opponent of expanded use of triple trailers, and asked Hill for his position. Hill replied that current law forbids any changes in triples use, and that he would work with the committee should the issue come up in the next highway program authorization bill, which is due in 2009.
In response to another question from Lautenberg, Hill defended the agency's handling of the most recent rewrite of the hours of service rule, and added that he expects the agency to produce a proposed rule on electronic onboard recorders this year.
As HDT went to press, the EOBR rule was still being reviewed by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. It was scheduled to go to the White House Office of Management and Budget last month but has been delayed for "additional coordination," according to a DOT report. The schedule calls for it to be ready for publication Aug. 31.
Hill's nomination has been well received by the enforcement community and the industry.
"The selection of John Hill ... represents a commitment toward working with (FMCSA's) partners to reduce truck and bus crashes and fatalities that Congress intended when it passed legislation creating FMCSA in 1999," said Stephen Campbell, executive director of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance.
"(Hill's) proven record – both at the state and federal level – as a top safety professional is a tremendous asset, and we look forward to working as partners in our continuing efforts to improve highway safety," said Bill Graves, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.
In other FMCSA news, Warren Hoemann, the former top deputy administrator, has left the agency. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta named David H. Hugel to replace him. Hugel will serve as acting administrator until Hill is confirmed by the Senate. He comes to DOT after three years as administrator in the Maryland Division of Motor Vehicles.
Washington Report continued...
