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On Veterans Day and every day, DOT honors America's heroes

This Sunday, November 11, is the day Americans have set aside to honor our Veterans, the heroes whose sacrifices have kept this nation safe and preserved the liberty we hold so dear.

At DOT, we know that we cannot thank our servicemen and women and their families enough for their tireless work on our country's behalf. But we can show our gratitude by making the transition to civilian careers in transportation easier.

Our veterans have the skills and experience to help rebuild America, so we want to put them to work in the skies, on the roads, and throughout our transit and rail systems.

That's why in June we teamed up with the Department of Veterans Affairs to launch the Veterans Transportation Career Center, an online portal to help military personnel and veterans apply the training and job specialty skills acquired in the service to exciting careers in the transportation industry. This site helps those with military experience map how that experience translates into jobs like air traffic controller, rail mechanic, or pilot.

This portal supplements DOT's Careers in Motion: Veteran Opportunities site, which features useful resources like a link to Veteran-oriented career fairs--this month alone there are events in Dallas and Charlotte on the 15th, and in Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Oakland on the 29th.

In addition to online resources, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is also adopting rules that help veterans connect with good, stable jobs in the truck and bus industry.

FMCSA has adopted a rule that allows states to waive the skills test required for a Commercial Driver’s License for those with 2 years of safe military driving experience.  They are also now implementing a new law enabling military members stationed outside of their home state to obtain a commercial driver’s license. And, they are making funds available for better job training and job placement through Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Training grants. 

 

Sandy recovery efforts continue as latest storm moves on

Despite the arrival of another storm last night, hurricane recovery efforts continue throughout the Northeast.  For DOT, this means working with state and local officials to help commuters get where they need to go and ensure families have access to housing and other resources they need.

For example, our Federal Highway Administration is working with our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) to speed up permitting for carriers moving temporary mobile housing units from Maryland and Alabama to New Jersey.

Transporting temporary housing

Under normal circumstances, carriers have to work with states to get permits from each state they travel through. In this instance, FHWA is coordinating with AASHTO to cut through some of the red tape and get all necessary permits at the same time. In addition, FHWA is also working with states to allow nighttime moves, which aren’t normally allowed.

This partnership will help people move into badly needed temporary housing even faster.

RRF vessel Wright will house and feed emergency staff

Working with the Department of Homeland Security, our Maritime Administration has provided FEMA with several nearby ships to provide lodging, food, and power for emergency response teams who have traveled to New York. 

The TS Empire State, a training vessel berthed at SUNY Maritime Academy, is currently supporting FEMA community relations surge personnel. The Ready Reserve Fleet vessel Wright--out of Baltimore--and the TS Kennedy--out of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts--are being used to house and feed FEMA community relations surge personnel and teams from the American Red Cross.  Both vessels are docked at Home Port Pier on Staten Island.

Emergency fuel arrives

Distracted driving enforcement pilot begins in Delaware

In June, we announced $2.4 million in federal support for California and Delaware to help strengthen distracted driving enforcement efforts in those states. Pilot programs in both states will examine whether increased police enforcement coupled with advertising and news coverage can significantly reduce texting and cell phone use behind the wheel.

Today, the first of those Phone in One Hand; Ticket in the Other pilot enforcement programs hits the streets in Delaware.

The Delaware Office of Highway Safety has teamed up with 42 law enforcement agencies across the First State to reduce handheld cell phone use and texting by motorists traveling on Delaware roadways. From today through November 20, law enforcement officers will be out in force to make sure drivers keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel.

And because too many drivers still don’t get the message that using a cell phone while driving can be dangerous and deadly, this initial distracted driving crackdown in Delaware is only the first of several enforcement waves taking place over the next year.

With Delaware Governor Markell in June, announcing the enforcement grant

FMCSA works to speed up fuel delivery to storm-stricken communities

As states and communities continue recovering from Hurricane Sandy, President Obama has asked us to ensure that fuel reaches them as quickly as possible.

Yesterday, DOT answered that call when our Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it is leading an Interstate Petroleum Transport Team to ensure the fastest and most efficient movement of fuel to the region. The team will be a single point of contact for states, the trucking industry, and other agencies, and it will help remove barriers to expedite quick delivery of fuel.

Different states have different rules covering hours-of-service, truck size and weight, low sulfur diesel use, and more. So this team will help coordinate activities across the states, making sure that truckers can navigate key regulatory issues and fuel can quickly get to the communities that need it.

Many states have already established waivers, and I cannot thank them enough for doing so. To keep carriers up-to-date, FMCSA has posted a convenient online list of these state waivers. 

The team also offers carriers a one-stop solution to ensure the swift delivery of relief goods with a hotline number (1-800-832-5660) to help address any barriers to the flow of fuel carriers to affected states.