The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) appointed a new chairman, vice chairman and five additional members to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC).

“At DOT, safety is our highest priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Working with partners who provide us with greater knowledge, experience and ideas will only help us make our nation’s highways even safer.”

Stephen C. Owings is 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 in honor of their son, Cullum, who was tragically killed in 2002 when struck by a tractor trailer. Owings replaces David Parker of Great West Casualty Co. as chairman. Parker has served as MCSAC chairman since its inception in 2007.

Lt. Col. 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. The MCSAC is composed of stakeholders from the motor carrier safety advocacy, safety enforcement, labor and industry communities.

The five new MCSAC members who will begin their terms on April 1, 2013, are:

• Gary Catapano, senior vice president of safety, First Student Inc.

• Bruce Hamilton, president, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1700

• Robert Mills, police officer, Fort Worth (Texas) Police Department

• Donald Osterberg, senior vice president of safety and security, Schneider National Inc.

• Tami Friedrich Trakh, board member, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH)

• Jennifer Tierney, board member, CRASH, (Voting Alternate Member)

With these appointments, the committee now has its full complement of 20 members.

The next MCSAC meeting is scheduled for April 8 to 10, 2013, at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, Va.

The MCSAC members are chosen through application to the agency. They are selected from among individuals who are not employees of FMCSA and who are specially qualified to serve on the committee based on their education, training or experience.

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