The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Fit, Willing and Able regulatory policy raises the safety bar for commercial truck and bus companies seeking operating authority by providing the specific criteria the agency considers when it grants, withholds, revokes or suspends a company’s operating authority registration.

The guidance reinforces the agency's policy of not granting operating authority to companies that create new identities or affiliate relationships to avoid a negative safety history. It also clarifies that the agency will scrutinize companies that have had their operating authority suspended or revoked within the past six years to determine their willingness to comply with federal safety laws.

Additionally, the FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) will hold a three-day public meeting from Aug. 27 to 29 in Alexandria, Va. Topics examined at the meeting will include commercial motor carrier safety provisions in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and an update on the U.S.-Mexico cross-border pilot program.

The MCSAC will also establish a subcommittee for providing ideas and recommendations on the agency’s Compliance Safety Accountability enforcement program, which was launched in 2010 to help FMCSA more easily identify unsafe commercial truck and bus companies.

The MCSAC was established by Congress in 2006 to provide advice and recommendations to the FMCSA administrator on safety programs and regulations. It includes representatives from national safety organizations, the truck and bus industry, state law enforcement, organized labor, and the commercial insurance sector.

For complete details on the time and location of the MCSAC meeting, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov.