Inside This Issue...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced receipt of applications from 14 individuals for an exemption from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. These exemptions would allow these individuals to qualify as drivers of commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce without meeting the federal vision standard. Comments on the exemptions must be received on or before March 2, 2006. You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket Management System (DMS) Docket Number FMCSA-2005-23238 using any of the following methods: Web site: http://dmses.dot.gov/; Fax: 1-202-493-2251; Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001; or Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a grant program under Section 2011 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy of Users (SAFETEA-LU) to implement programs to purchase and distribute child restraints, support enforcement of child restraint laws, train child passenger safety professionals concerning all aspects of child restraint use, and educate the public concerning the proper use and installation of child restraints. The program is open to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. To qualify for grant funds, states must "enforce a law requiring that any child riding in a passenger motor vehicle in the state who is too large to be secured in a child safety seat be secured in a child restraint that meets the requirements prescribed by the Secretary under section 3 of Anton's Law." Applications must be received by the appropriate NHTSA Regional Administrator on or before July 1 of the applicable fiscal year.  For program issues, contact Judy Hammond, Injury Control Operations and Resources, NTI-200, by phone at (202) 366-2121 or fax at (202) 366-7394. For legal issues, contact David Bonelli, Office of Chief Counsel, NCC-113 by phone at (202) 366-1834 or fax at (202) 366-3820.

On Jan. 30, President Bush nominated Secret Service Director W. Ralph Basham to head Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Basham was sworn in as Secret Service Director in January 2003 after serving as a Secret Service agent for 28 years. Previously, he served as director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) from 1998 to 2002, and chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from 2002 until his appointment as Secret Service director.

 Annette Sandberg, head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), has announced her resignation effective March 1. Sandberg became head of the agency in January 2003 as acting administrator, and was nominated by President Bush to be full-time agency chief if March 2003. Prior to her post at FMCSA, sandberg served as deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

New guidelines developed by three safety agencies instruct employers on how to design an effective driver safety programs in their workplace. The 32-page guide, Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes,  features at 10-step program and includes success stories from employers who have benefited from driver safety programs. In addition, the guidelines include tips for avoiding bad driving behaviors and a sample worksheet for calculating the costs of motor vehicle crashes to employers. The guidance was developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). The publication is available from OSHA's publications page or can be ordered at (202) 693-1888.

Several jurisdictions need your input. If you haven't already done so, please respond to the following surveys. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password. Thank you.

• Illinois -Traffic Offenders - Penalizing & Tickets  (Ends 2/14/06)
• Ontario - ID Cards  (Ends 2/9)
• Quebec – Registration - Requiring MCOs  (Ends 2/10)
• South Dakota - Registration Renewal Notices  (Ends 2/22)

Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey about jurisdiction-issued VIN numbers. Contact Member and Conference Services if you need a user ID and password. Thank you.
 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is creating a new senior-level intelligence position which will act as interlocutor between TSA's central intelligence area and local officials at airports and transportation venues. The intelligence unit's acting director, Nick Grant, will assume the new role. According to TSA, one possibility for Grant's new responsibilities  will be to interview TSA officers at airports to identify any disturbing trends emerging at screening checkpoints. Bill Gaches, head of the intelligence division at the National Counterterrorism Center, will take over Grant's old job as assistant administrator for intelligence and analysis.

Queensland Transport (Australia) is conducting research on best practices for youth engagement regarding changes to licensing regulations and policies affecting young drivers. Please respond to this survey on AAMVA's Web site. Queensland appreciates your assistance with this research. NOTE TO CANADIAN PROVINCES: this is essentially the same questionnaire already distributed to you through CCMTA. If you've already completed and returned the questionnaire, you do not need to complete the online version through AAMVA. However, if you have not yet sent back your completed questionnaire, you may take the opportunity to complete this online version instead.