Changes in Government Leadership 2021 : How We Are Affected
By Peter Mannella
As a new president transitions to the Oval Office , many pieces must be put in place by the new administration in a coordinated fashion . One of the critical steps that must be handled effectively and efficiently is the appointment of key staff members , including Cabinet Secretaries and other agency leadership . While school transportation is not the purview of any one federal agency , our government is involved across a broad spectrum of functions due to its oversight and regulatory authority over vehicle safety and driver readiness . Let us take a closer look at those agencies and how their work interacts with our own for school bus safety :
US Department of Transportation ( USDOT ):
The Department of Transportation oversees and provides funding for all our major highway and related transportation infrastructure including railways , airways , seaways and bridges . The Department has control over billions of dollars for infrastructure improvements and development . It also includes several agencies of critical importance to school transportation safety , which we highlight further below . We expect that DOT will be the focus of significant budget allocations as the incoming administration has promised to invest in all levels of infrastructure as one element of an economic recovery program . NAPT will monitor such developments to determine the extent to which such investments might benefit or otherwise affect school transportation .
USDOT : National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ):
The mission statement of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) is to : Save lives , prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes , through education , research , safety standards and enforcement activity . The mission of the NHTSA is critical to school transportation as it encompasses overall vehicle and equipment safety . It is through NHTSA that standards are set for school bus construction , lighting , seating , signage , emissions and fueling , and more . While we have engaged on dozens of issues with this agency , one major issue has been the focal point of our relationship with NHTSA : seat belts on school buses . NAPT continues to bring issues facing our industry to NHTSA and we will accelerate our outreach to the new administration as key officials are nominated by the incoming President .
USDOT-Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA ):
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ( FMCSA ) sees its mission as being “ to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries .” FMCSA carries out this mission through regulatory actions and oversight of the motor carrier industry , including trucks , transit buses , motorcoaches and school buses among other vehicles . They also issue regulatory actions related to driver readiness and roadworthiness , including drug and alcohol testing regimens , training provider registries , training for commercial motor vehicle operators and CDL holders , and other regulations that affect how we do our work in the school bus community .
DHS : Transportation Security Administration ( TSA ):
The Transportation Security Administration is one of several entities within the US Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ). As we have seen at various annual conferences and webinars , NAPT
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