Table of Contents

1. Vision, Mission, and Core Values
2. Relationship of FMCSA and DOT Strategic Goals
3. Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
   • Safety - Our #1 Goal
   • Security Goal
   • Productivity Goal
   • Global Connectivity Goal
   • Organizational Excellence Goal
4. Evaluating Performance
5. Vital Focus Areas
6. Acknowledgements

"FMCSA was conceived out of the need to achieve stronger commercial motor vehicle safety-it is our mandate. More than that, our Agency consists of dedicated professionals to whom safety is the highest priority..."

- FMCSA Administrator John H. Hill in testimony before Congress, March 2007.

I. Vision, Mission,and Core Values

Our Vision

Save lives and reduce injuries by providing America with the safest commercial motor vehicle highway environment in the world.

Our Mission

Our Core Values

Safety

Integrity

Commitment

People

Partnerships

Accountability

II. Relationship of FMCSA and DOT Strategic Goals

The U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has published a comprehensive Strategic Plan that defines the overall mission, vision, and goals of the Department. Each of the DOT Operating Administrations develops its own Strategic Plan to support the highest goals of the Department. This FMCSA Strategic Plan contains goals that align directly with the DOT goals. Figure 1 shows this relationship.

Figure 1: FMCSA Goals are Aligned with DOT Performance Goals

III. Goals, Objectives, and Strategies

Safety - Our #1 Goal

The FMCSA Safety Goal supports the DOT Safety Goal. Saving lives remains FMCSA's main strategic objective under the Safety Goal. However, the Agency also has increased its focus on reducing injuries, preventing and minimizing the severity of crashes, and reducing serious Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) incidents by ensuring the highest safety standards.

About 12 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in the Nation involve crashes with large trucks. The FMCSA is committed to preventing crashes and to saving more lives through its programs and partnerships with other government agencies, industry, and the public. The Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety performance target is commensurate with, and contributes to, the DOT Highway Safety performance target fatality rate of no more than 1.0 fatalities per 100 million total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 2011. This fatality rate target would represent over 8,500 additional lives saved between 2002 and 2011. The HAZMAT Safety performance target also contributes to the DOT HAZMAT performance target of reducing the number of serious HAZMAT transportation incidents.

The FMCSA Integrated Performance Budget acts as an annual installment of the Strategic Plan. Each year, FMCSA develops the budget for the programs that support each strategy under each goal. To demonstrate the linkage between the plan and the budget, the Agency has provided a graphic depiction (Figure 2 on the next page) of where the Agency's performance elements and programs would fit into the Safety Goal logic model. Please reference the most recent budget submission to Congress to see those programs for each year

Figure 2: Safety Goal

CMV Safety Objective

HAZMAT Safety Objective

Outcomes:

Strategies

• Increase Compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs)

  to discourage noncompliance, reduce violations, and prevent crashes and HAZMAT incidents. The FMCSA has enforcement and compliance programs that help ensure compliance with the FMCSRs and HMRs and make certain that unsafe carriers are removed from the Nation's highways. Aggressive enforcement is one of the primary strategies for meeting the Safety Goal and serves as the Agency's core competency. The FMCSA targets high-risk carriers through field oversight efforts such as compliance reviews, safety audits, and roadside inspections.

• Promote Safe Operations and Best Practices through Partnerships and Education

  to increase awareness of road safety rules and best practices for CMV carriers and HAZMAT operators to achieve greater crash prevention, fewer severe injuries, and fewer HAZMAT incidents. The FMCSA conducts outreach and educational programs for that purpose by partnering with States and with sister agencies to inform and heighten public awareness and appreciation for safe operation and best highway safety practices for CMVs and passenger vehicles. The Agency provides education to FMCSA employees, State, and local partners in such vital courses as the North American Standard Inspection, Compliance Review, and Roadside Inspection of HAZMAT, and the criminal interdiction of CMV operations to include the Drug Interdiction Assistance Program. The FMCSA also conducts various training academies that prepare FMCSA Safety Investigators, Auditors, and Inspectors for their oversight responsibilities.

• Improve Driver Qualifications, Credentialing, and Licensing Systems

  to reduce the number of unqualified drivers and crashes on the Nation's highways. The Agency works with each State to ensure license-tracking systems are standardized and are able to share information with other States and the Federal Government. The FMCSA has implemented ongoing, systematic, and enhanced State Commercial Driver's License (CDL) compliance reviews that focus on the State's CDL program laws, procedures, and operational practices. In accordance with the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999, the Agency will modify the current CDL regulations to require that information concerning drivers' medical certifications be recorded and posted to each CDL driving record to allow roadside inspectors to confirm proof of medical fitness.

• Improve Safety Information, Research, and Analysis to Advance Innovation and Technical Solutions.

  Each year, information technology (IT) evolves and the demand for reliable IT solutions increases, accompanied by more sophisticated IT security issues. The Agency will enhance its field inspections with tools such as handheld devices that instantly make available electronic driver, carrier, and equipment records. This dynamic operating environment challenges the information management program to provide accurate, complete, and timely data collected and stored in a secure environment. Accurate, complete, and timely data are necessary for us to develop short-term programmatic decisions or long-term planning and policy direction. The best quality data and adequate IT tools allows FMCSA and its safety partners the ability to focus on the highest risk motor carriers, drivers, and vehicles. The Agency is continuously looking for new technological solutions that include such applications as crash avoidance, rollover prevention, and lane departure warning systems. These will help improve CMV operations, limit technical and mechanical road failures, and reduce the probability of crashes involving CMVs.

• Modernize and Optimize Operational Effectiveness to Improve Safety

  by continuously evolving as an operational safety agency through innovation and by encouraging thinking "outside-of-the box" and brainstorming from its employees. The Agency must strive to stay ahead of the safety curve by establishing effective systems of safety fitness that meet today's needs and procedures and that gain the greatest safety impact for the resources expended. The Agency also recognizes the importance of working with an industry that is rapidly growing and progressing technologically. The FMCSA must keep pace with these demands and balance those needs against its resources through future-thinking initiatives such as the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 that define the Agency's compliance and operating scheme.

Performance Measures:

Security Goal

Growing security threats to the Nation's transportation system have considerably altered the Federal Government's operations and activities and influenced FMCSA's mission in recent years. As a result, the Agency has broadened the definition of the Security Goal to more clearly define what the Agency does in this area for HAZMAT security, as well as to describe how the Agency is called upon to support other Federal agencies in emergency preparedness. The FMCSA recognizes that safety and security are inextricably linked as both inherently involve risks to life and to property. Despite not being the lead Federal agency for homeland security activities, FMCSA is regularly called upon to take the lead in support of the overall Federal Government response to protect the American people. The FMCSA's unique access to the CMV industry through its safety programs allows us to leverage these relationships and provide this assistance.

The FMCSA Integrated Performance Budget acts as an annual installment of the Strategic Plan. Each year, FMCSA links, through the budget, the programs that support each strategy under each goal. To demonstrate the linkage between the plan and the budget, the Agency has developed a graphic depiction (Figure 3) of where the Agency's performance elements and programs would fit into the Security Goal logic model. Please reference the most recent budget submission to Congress to see those programs for each year.

Figure 3: Security Goal Logic Model

CMV Security Objective:

Outcomes:

• Reduced likelihood of CMV transportation threats.
• Increased preparedness for emergency response.

Strategies:

• Promote CMV Security with Emphasis on HAZMAT through Operations, Research, Partnerships, and Education

  in order to address CMV security-specific issues that are not covered under its Safety Goal. The FMCSA carries out a coordinated HAZMAT security strategy framed around security operations and field inspections. The Agency also utilizes outreach, research, and technology to identify cutting-edge approaches to CMV security. Following the events of September 11, 2001, FMCSA assumed an active role in security operations and outreach to carriers of HAZMAT cargoes. The FMCSA implemented a security program for motor carriers that transport HAZMAT. For HAZMAT carriers, the Agency inspects driver identification, conducts extensive on-site security assessments, and encourages carrier security sensitivity. The Agency also notifies the CMV industry about HAZMAT security threats, alerts, security vulnerabilities, and best practices.

  The FMCSA academy and training programs prepare Federal and State safety specialists to conduct HAZMAT security-related inspections at motor carriers' places of business. In addition to HAZMAT security training, FMCSA also conducts commercial vehicle criminal interdiction training that prepares commercial vehicle safety inspectors to identify criminal activities while conducting their safety activities. The Agency trains law enforcement officials to respond to truck safety and security issues and industry officials to deal with security and prevention matters.

• Ensure Emergency Preparedness

  to maintain readiness for emergency response activities during and after major natural and/or man-made disasters. The FMCSA will maintain a comprehensive and effective emergency preparedness program that uses its unique relationship with the CMV industry and State enforcement partners to assist the lead Federal agencies during national emergencies. The Agency supports the DOT role of providing transportation support to Federal efforts as part of the Transportation Emergency Support Function in the National Response Plan.

Performance Measures:

Productivity Goal

The DOT recognizes the growing problems congestion is creating for the Nation's transportation system and that this issue threatens to undermine the progress the Department has made regarding safety. Reducing congestion and other impediments to the Nation's transportation system will improve the flow and movement of goods, increase CMV carrier operational efficiencies, and improve overall transportation safety. The FMCSA will develop and utilize electronic safety and credentials monitoring devices to inspect vehicles and drivers in order to decrease congestion caused by roadside safety activities. These measures will help to maintain the flow of commerce and decrease delays in the flow of goods and deliveries. The Agency also recognizes the need to respond effectively to household goods (HHG) complaints and help consumers resolve HHG delivery issues.

The FMCSA Integrated Performance Budget acts as an annual installment of the Strategic Plan. Each year, the Agency demonstrates, through the budget, the programs that support each strategy under each goal. Figure 4 is a graphical depiction of the Productivity logic model, which summarizes the objectives, strategies, and performance elements for this goal. Please reference the most recent budget submission to Congress to see those programs for each year.

Figure 4: Productivity Goal Logic Model

Congestion Objective:

HHG Objective:

Outcomes:

• Reduced congestion and improved CMV road traffic safety.
• Improved customer service in response to HHG complaints.

Strategies:

• Advance Electronic Safety and Credential Monitoring and Maintain Flow of Commerce

  to decrease delays in the flow of goods and deliveries. Congestion has been growing in all transportation modes and its cumulative effects have been slowing the movement of goods and impeding both national and global commerce. The Agency's contribution to congestion relief is to work closely with its State, Federal, and industry partners to develop electronic safety and credential monitoring devices. These devices work to reduce the amount of time carriers spend entering and exiting weigh stations and inspection booths and during roadside inspections, to reduce the congestion that builds around these particular areas.

• Engage Consumers, Shippers, and Carriers through Partnerships, Education, and Enforcement and Compliance Operations

  to ensure HHG are delivered as agreed upon between carriers and consumers and to reduce associated complaints. A growing number of consumers have difficulty resolving disputes with movers and shippers. The FMCSA receives nearly 3,000 legitimate HHG complaints annually regarding delivery agreements and contracts. The FMCSA will develop programs to assist consumers and carriers in resolving conflicts to the satisfaction of both parties.

  The FMCSA will explore the scope of HHG regulations and analyze the state of the industry to ensure that rules are enforced. There are over 4,000 registered motor carriers actively transporting HHG across State lines and, as investigations have uncovered, many operate without proper authority. The Agency's main objective is to identify the HHG carriers and brokers who are the worst violators of the regulations and focus enforcement resources on them. The Agency will make the information available to consumers to help them make informed decisions when selecting a HHG mover and will develop ranking mechanisms based on customer complaints to help consumers select carriers. Although HHG carriers constitute a small percentage of the total number of commercial motor carriers, they generate the majority of serious complaints registered by consumers. Developing and publishing periodic consumer rankings of HHG carriers will help consumers make informed choices when selecting carriers.

Performance Measures:

Global Connectivity Goal

Transportation across national borders is a lifeline to economic growth and benefits open trade and greater cultural exchange. The FMCSA's mission does not include a responsibility to increase economic growth, yet the Agency's safety responsibilities require us to stay vigilant as global interconnectivity increases CMV travel across international borders. Economic productivity is tightly linked to transportation efficiency and major business processes such as supply chain and logistics. These processes bring materials to production facilities for manufacturing, assembling, warehousing, and shipping to customers around the globe. Competitive international trade also depends on efficient cross-border CMV freight transportation. Achieving a more efficient North and Central American transportation system through innovative CMV solutions will greatly facilitate the flow of goods and cross-border movement of CMV carriers and increase commerce in the North and Central American regions.

The FMCSA Integrated Performance Budget acts as an annual installment of the Strategic Plan. Each year, the Agency demonstrates, through the budget, the programs that support each strategy under each goal. Figure 5 is a graphical depiction of the Global Connectivity logic model, which summarizes the objectives, strategies, and performance elements for this goal. Please reference the most recent budget submission to Congress to see those programs for each year.

Figure 5: Global Connectivity Logic Model

Objective:

Outcome:

Strategy:

• Advance Electronic Safety and Credential Monitoring to Facilitate International Traffic Flow at our Nation's Borders

  , ease international border crossing and customs activities, increase border safety, and truck carriers, drivers, and equipment that cross into the country. The Agency will establish a system that exchanges credentials electronically to help enforce safety and security and fight international crime. The FMCSA is partnering with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency to improve truck and bus safety at the Nation's land borders. This system enables Federal border inspectors to identify and contain unsafe CMVs and drivers before they reach the Nation's roadways. The Agency will develop reciprocity protocols to facilitate North and Central American border crossing and customs compliance activities and increase border safety and security.

Performance Measures:

Organizational Excellence Goal

The objective is to provide an adaptable, world-class, mission-oriented organizational infrastructure in support of FMCSA's mission, objectives, and strategies. . The FMCSA will be undertaking activities for continuous organizational improvement not because it is required to, or simply to achieve a passing score, but because it is the right thing to do under responsible management practices. . These organizational improvement activities will result in a more highly trained and motivated workforce, enhanced cost-control measures, and improved decision-making processes.

The FMCSA Integrated Performance Budget acts as an annual installment of the Strategic Plan. Each year, the Agency demonstrates, through the budget, the programs that support each strategy under each goal. Figure 6 is a graphical depiction of the Organizational Excellence logic model, which summarizes the objectives, strategies, and performance elements for this goal. Please reference the most recent budget submission to Congress to see those programs for each year.

Figure 6: Organization Excellence Goal

Objective:

Outcome:

Strategies:

• Promote Strategic Management of Human Capital

  to enable better planning and to implement policies to identify, recruit, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce in support of its goals. The Agency will expand efforts to provide essential staffing resources required to support its mission and to develop and retain a high quality workforce. The Agency will conduct efficiency reviews of its human capital programs and processes to identify areas for improvement, define the best use of its resources, and contribute to the government's best practices for human capital management. The Agency will work to create and maintain an environment that fosters innovation and creativity.

• Advance Electronic Government Solutions

  by providing online information about proposed and final regulations, as well as adjudicatory actions. The Agency will implement electronic grant applications and management practices and continue to utilize web technology to promote and distribute information. These actions will keep the Agency focused on the customer, increase public accessibility to Federal Government information, and reduce its costs.
  Implement Competitive Sourcing to enable effective performance of Agency activities and help achieve cost efficiencies. The Agency fosters a performance-based approach and process re-engineering to achieve greater cost efficiencies. The Agency will continue to seek opportunities to implement a more efficient/effective blend of human capital resources while balancing this need with the necessity to retain inherently governmental operations.

• Enhance Financial and Procurement Performance

  to achieve greater cost savings and organizational efficiencies. The Agency will improve financial management oversight and acquisition management for grants while maintaining current levels of performance for other activities related to financial and procurement performance.

• Integrate Budget and Performance

  through managerial cost accounting and other programs to achieve business process improvements by linking program outputs to objectives. Managerial cost accounting helps the Agency integrate its performance with its budget, and this helps to justify future budget requests and provides accountability. This Strategic Plan and the Integrated Performance Budget are examples of the thoughtful results-based process FMCSA implements as part of a dynamic Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System. This process helps the Agency determine the contributions of various programs, activities, and regulations needed to meet future objectives based on actual performance.

• Promote Organizational Efficiency and Open Communication

  to enhance overall FMCSA performance and develop communication and outreach programs to help achieve the mission. Employees are the Agency's greatest asset. All staff and managers must be well-informed of Agency operations and expectations. The FMCSA will continually search for the most efficient program support and industry practices.

Performance Measures:

IV. Evaluating Performance

The FMCSA conducts three types of internal evaluation activities to improve management and performance: program evaluations, quality assurance reviews, and regulatory effectiveness reviews. These evaluation activities support management and resource allocation decisions, identify program and process improvements, and support performance metrics. Below is a more detailed explanation of each type of evaluation.

Program Evaluations

• Report on best practices and areas observed for further study or corrective action.
• Inform the Agency of programmatic strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to improve.
• Prepare the Agency for higher-level external oversight inspections such as the Program Assessment Rating Tool and Government Accountability Office and Office of the Inspector General audits.

Quality Assurance Reviews

• Are program processes adequate and implemented as intended?
• Are program processes uniformly applied nationwide?
• Are program processes applied fairly?
• Are program processes achieving the desired results efficiently and effectively?
• Are operational controls in place to ensure fiscal accountability and data verification?

Regulatory Effectiveness Reviews

• Provide a systematic, post-regulatory assessment.
• Assess regulatory impacts on safety and economics.
• Identify unanticipated industry burdens and impacts.
• Determine if regulations are implemented as intended.
• Determine if the rules can be simplified.
• Ascertain whether technology or other intervening events have rendered a rule obsolete.

V. Vital Focus Areas

Transforming the Agency from a young organization into a well-established high performing safety agency will require that FMCSA meet head on the challenges described in this plan. The FMCSA believes that the strategies that it has committed to in this Strategic Plan will address those challenges. Several vital areas of focus quickly came to the forefront of the discussions and planning of FMCSA goals. In the following section, we summarize these areas into four categories: safety, areas of specific focus, areas of internal focus, and areas of environmental focus. Safety is, of course, FMCSA's most important goal. The Agency remains particularly focused on modernization, data quality, CMV drivers, and strategic partnerships.

Our Main Area of Focus: Safety

Safety-in particular, carrier, driver, and equipment safety-remains the primary goal for FMCSA. The Agency intends to expand safety activities such as compliance reviews, medical qualification oversight, enforcement (particularly border enforcement), and outreach programs. Other areas of focus include developing research and evidence-based rulemakings, quality assurance of Agency operations, and infrastructure and technology development.

Modernization

The Agency intends to continue its efforts to increase the use of modern technologies and effective business processes for the performance of all of its programs. The FMCSA is implementing major safety improvement initiatives and programs in the areas of compliance and enforcement, information technology, data quality and information management, and driver identification and qualification. Other programs, indirectly related to safety, include e-grant and e-government.

• The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) is the Agency's principal grant program. It provides financial support to State enforcement and compliance operations. The FMCSA supports States' efforts, through MCSAP, to improve commercial vehicle safety enforcement, technology deployment, and safety information capabilities to reduce the incidence and severity of CMV crashes. Basic MCSAP funds and safety performance incentive funds support implementation of State Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans, including uniform CMV and driver roadside inspections and carrier compliance reviews as well as traffic enforcement, public outreach, training, and data collection capabilities. In addition, MCSAP grants support States' implementation of the New Entrant program which provides for safety audits on carriers seeking new interstate operating authority.
• The CSA 2010 is a major program initiative aimed at realigning, strengthening, and consolidating FMCSA's current safety compliance and enforcement operations. It also evaluates their effectiveness and identifies better measures for reducing CMV crashes. The intent of CSA 2010 is to establish an operational model that will determine the relative safety fitness risk attributable to every motor carrier and develop streamlined approaches to change the behavior of poor motor carrier operations and their drivers. The CSA 2010 will ultimately provide FMCSA a new modern-operational model that will greatly enhance the Agency's efficiency at gathering and properly evaluating a greater proportion of the regulated population.
• A third safety improvement program is Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM). . It is an essential component of the Agency's enforcement program. . The PRISM provides critical information on the size and operating characteristics of carriers and offers a direct safety enforcement link by tying carrier safety performance to vehicle identification numbers. . The PRISM requires motor carriers to identify the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) number of the motor carrier responsible for the safety of each vehicle registered at the State level. The FMCSA provides funding to States, through the PRISM grant program, to establish a data information system connecting the State vehicle registration agencies with FMCSA. . The system notifies the State registration personnel that a carrier has been deemed "out of service" by FMCSA and therefore, will be denied the opportunity to register until such time that the carrier has demonstrated that they have corrected the out-of-service deficiency.
• Another modernization program is the COMPASS initiative. This is a major business and information technology modernization program aimed at transforming FMCSA's business processes while expanding the Agency's IT delivery capabilities. COMPASS will reduce IT operations and maintenance costs and increase productivity and efficiency. Accurate and timely information forms the backbone for all of FMCSA's major safety activities. The Agency is undergoing a major business and IT transformation that will improve the efficiency of its compliance and enforcement activities.
• The FMCSA modernization efforts will also expand to consumer-friendly electronic processes such as e-government, e-grant, and other electronic transactions and data processing initiatives.
• E-government includes a streamlined registration element, which will operate in real-time. The current process took up to 4 weeks to complete. This feature also allows interstate motor carriers applying for a USDOT number online to receive it instantly.
• E-grant is an initiative that will permit electronic submittal and completion of grant applications and agreements.

Data Quality

The FMCSA relies on accurate and complete data so that the Agency and its partners can develop the most effective regulations, programs, policies, countermeasures, and operations to positively impact truck and bus safety. The FMCSA and its safety partners will not be able to focus on high-risk motor carriers, drivers, and vehicles without the highest quality data and adequate IT tools. In addition, FMCSA must be able to accurately measure the effectiveness of its programs. Sound data provides the requisite information to evaluate outcomes.

The Agency continues to enhance and develop data analysis tools. For example, FMCSA developed a new online passenger carrier safety module within its Analysis and Information online Web site. This tool provides accurate and timely publicly available safety data for CMVs. Another tool is Data, an online data quality tool that meets the requirements of the Data Quality Act by allowing the public to challenge the accuracy and completeness of any data disseminated to the public and eases corrections to that data.

Data quality and information management improvement efforts also include the State Safety Data Improvement Program (SaD IP). The SaDIP presents a comprehensive strategy for enhancing the quality, timeliness, consistency, and availability of motor carrier safety data. The program comprises technical and financial assistance in the form of grants to the States to enable them to improve their data quality and analysis capabilities.

CMV Drivers

Studies have shown that driver factors are the main cause of commercial vehicle crashes. Agency activities are increasingly focused on driver physical standards, credentials, training, documenting, and record data sharing among the States.

• Strong CDL oversight and related grant programs will support new and expanded safety and security initiatives at the State level. These programs improve the accuracy and timeliness of turning driver conviction and disqualification data over to the appropriate State, which can expeditiously adjudicate the offenses and remove the disqualified unsafe driver from the highway. The FMCSA will also give high priority to grant proposals that address CDL program deficiencies and areas of noncompliance identified during a recurring FMCSA review of State CDL operations. This effort will improve detection of fraudulent CDLs through better internal controls and oversight.
• The FMCSA's Medical Qualifications oversight program is working to develop and launch strategies for creating a much-improved comprehensive medical program, including successful implementation of key initiatives and an evaluation of the current medical certification process. In addition, a Medical Review Board will provide the Agency with much needed expert medical advice on driver qualification standards and guidelines, medical examiner education, and medical research. This will greatly enhance the Agency's ability to develop a comprehensive plan to systematically review and update its current medical requirements for commercial drivers. The Agency is also establishing the position of Chief Medical Examiner in accordance with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) legislation.

Strategic Partnerships

The FMCSA will not be able to achieve its mission and strategic goals without comprehensive collaboration with its strategic partners and other CMV stakeholders. The Agency is involved in major partnerships to improve road safety through education, outreach, communication, and program initiatives. Examples of partnership programs include:

• Teaming up with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to promote a comprehensive and national effort to educate CMV and passenger vehicle drivers on how to safely share the road. The program promotes enhanced traffic enforcement efforts aimed at reducing the incidences of the most common unsafe driving behaviors. It establishes a public‑private partnership to provide resources and expertise for the development and dissemination of information related to sharing the road.
• Partnering with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), NHTSA, States, and other CMV stakeholders to inform and heighten public awareness and appreciation for their safe operation and identifying the best highway safety practices for drivers, CMVs, and the passenger vehicles they interact with on the highways.
• Providing grants to States to assist them in improving the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of safety data reported through Agency systems.
• Establishing partnerships with major organizations to increase safety belt use among truck drivers. . These organizations include NHTSA, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Trucking Associations, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, and National Safety Council.
• Establishing the first partnership among Federal, State, and local officials and the moving industry to address the problem of rogue HHG movers. Partners include State attorneys general, local law enforcement agencies, the American Moving and Storage Association, and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.
• Partnering with NHTSA and FHWA on the DOT Speed Management Team on the goal of reducing speed-related fatalities, injuries, and crashes. The purpose of this strategic initiative is to galvanize the Federal effort and identify the specific actions that the DOT Speed Management Team must accomplish to address its goal of managing speed and reducing speed-related crash risk.
• Joining the National Highway Research and Technology Partnership, a group of 16 Federal agencies that supports and funds highway research and technology.

Areas of Specific Focus

With this Strategic Plan, the Agency is committed to the following areas:

• Implementing evolutionary enhancements such as the CSA 2010 to increase operational efficiencies and COMPASS to apply appropriate technological applications to these programs in all areas of the Agency's activities.
• Developing the Agency's most important asset, its workforce, into a renowned group of experts in matters of CMV safety and security.
• Improving the Agency's communication activities and developing its outreach programs to enlighten the Nation about CMV safety issues.
• Placing less emphasis on mandating and more emphasis on collegially working with its partners, including the continued improvement of the rulemaking process.
• Increasing collaboration with other Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies in order to develop long-term solutions to CMV fatalities, HHG abuse, and congestion including technology-based solutions.
• Partnering with other Federal agencies and working with the CMV industry to ensure the security of the chemical and biological agents they transport.
• Contributing to reduce the enormous problem of congestion on the highways through application of safety programs.
  Utilizing the benefit of CMV industry relationships, expertise, and training to support the lead Federal agencies as they respond to disasters both natural and man-made.
• Contributing to the development of expertise, ideas, and tools to advance the state-of-the-art research and technology applications in CMV safety on the Nation's highways.

Areas of Internal Focus

The FMCSA will pay close attention to the following areas to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and performance of its own organization. The Agency will:

• Increase the effectiveness of the Agency's administrative support infrastructure to promote better internal customer service and timeliness and provide its programs with the resources they need to deliver on its safety mandate.
• Reduce the practice of creating multiple priorities with "high urgency" and increase coordination of policies, regulations, and correspondence across the Agency.
• Provide clear definitions of performance measures and quantifiable measurement steps to validate successes. The Agency will use the analysis results to identify opportunities to make further improvements.
  Increase the effectiveness of process reviews and policy development in all program areas.
• Continue to link funding requests to supported performance areas, track our progress, and report to Congress and executive agencies regularly.
• Increase resource allocation efficiency to overcome any impediments to completing all mission critical program activities.
• Focus on cross-agency communication in order to dispel misinformation and reduce overlap and repetition among activities.
• Conduct a comprehensive organizational assessment to determine the best mix of skills, requirements, staffing, and structure to achieve the mission.

Areas of Environmental Focus

Environmental Stewardship is a DOT goal but currently is not a primary FMCSA goal. Nevertheless, some environmental issues overlap with FMCSA activities especially related to HAZMAT safety and regulatory efficiency. The Agency will:

• Comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by analyzing all pertinent activities (including rulemakings, grants, and research) to determine their impact on the environment.
• Continue coordinating with other agencies and administrations, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Maritime Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and FHWA on issues that affect CMV safety.
• Continue to perform research and analysis on issues where CMV safety and the environment intersect. The Agency will determine the environmental impacts of CMV crashes as part of any NEPA analysis, the effects of truck idling on driver health, the impacts of alternative fuels on CMV safety, and ways to reduce weather-related CMV crashes.
• Continue participating in the Federal NEPA contacts group comprised of representatives from all Federal Agencies and coordinated by the Council on Environmental Quality. The group promotes multimodal approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change on the transportation system while advancing DOT's core goals of safety, mobility, environmental stewardship, and security.

VI. Acknowledgments

Many FMCSA personnel contributed greatly to this Strategic Plan and certainly deserve the Agency's gratitude; unfortunately, it is not practical to mention them all here. Some of the key contributors are recognized below.

Members of the Strategic Planning Working Group

Senior Leadership Retreat Participants

Over 70 senior leaders from across the Agency participated in 2 days of discussions at the 2006 Annual Planning Retreat. The conversations and constructive criticism of the proposed Strategic Plan provided the foundation for this final document.