Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) Members
These are the 21 people that get to work with the FMCSA to dictate our lives to us. Check them out. Do you think that they may be a little bit biased?
Rob Abbott, American Trucking Associations (Industry). Mr. Abbott has been involved in commercial motor vehicle safety for more than 16 years, serving presently as Vice-President for Safety Policy at the ATA since February 2010. Previously, Mr. Abbott worked for ATA as Director for Safety Policy and for TransForce, Inc. as Director of Quality Control and Training. In his current capacity, Mr. Abbott serves as ATA’s lead advocate on safety issues including driver qualification, Hours-of-Service, Electronic On-Board Recorders, Safety Fitness, Compliance, Safety, Accountability (known as CSA), and Entry Level Driver Training. He directs the development of ATA’s safety policies through its Safety Policy Committee and works directly with regulators and legislators to advance them, working with some of the Nation’s largest trucking companies to develop and advance the industry’s position on safety. Mr. Abbott earned his B.A. in Public Communication from the American University.
LaMont Byrd, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Labor). Mr. Byrd has been with the Teamsters since 1990 and has served as Director of its Health and Safety Department since 1994. In his present capacity, he oversees the development and implementation of comprehensive safety and health programs for the 1.4 million member international union. He provides technical guidance and regulatory advice on health and safety and drug and alcohol testing issues and provides oversight for national worker safety training grant programs and as an Industrial Hygienist. Mr. Byrd serves as Principal Investigator of the IBT Worker Training Program. Mr. Byrd earned his BS in Environmental Health from East Carolina University and his MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Cincinnati.
Gary Catapano, First Student, Inc. (Industry). For the past 8 years, Mr. Catapano has served as First Student’s Senior Vice President of Safety, where he guides the safety of its more than 55,000 school buses each day. He is the Senior Safety Advisor and Chair for the First Group America’s Safety Council, which provides the safety review function for its operating companies in North America, involving more than 90,000 employees and 70,000 buses including school bus, motorcoach, and transit bus operations. He received the National Safety Council’s 2011 Distinguished Service to Safety Award for Transportation Safety and the 2010 Golden Merit Award from the National School Transportation Association for service to School Transportation Operations and Safety. Mr. Catapano holds a commercial driver’s license and is a Defensive Driving Instructor and a New York State Certified School Bus Instructor. Presently, he chairs the Transportation Safety Division for the National Safety Council and the National School Transportation Association’s Safety and Security Committee.
Paul Claunch, Arkansas Highway Police (Enforcement). With more than 35 years in law enforcement, Major Claunch has spent 31 years of that time in commercial vehicle enforcement in the State of Arkansas. Since May 2008, he has served as second-in-command over all Special Services, which is comprised of 155 officers. During his time with the Arkansas Highway Police, he did a 1-year detail with FMCSA’s precursor organization, the FHWA Office of Motor Carriers, and is well versed in new entrant safety audits, CVISN, compliance reviews, and the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. Major Claunch served as president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance in 2004. Major Claunch graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law Enforcement Supervision and of the Arkansas Leader, an upper level law enforcement course for managers. He graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2000.
Norman (Bill) Dofflemyer, Maryland Department of State Police (Enforcement). A twenty-five year veteran with the Maryland DSP, Captain Dofflemyer has served as Commander of its Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division since 2003. In this capacity, he oversees 170 employees in 14 facilities and supports commercial vehicle enforcement and training activities. Captain Dofflemyer is a certified North American Standard Level I Inspector, as well as a Certified General Hazardous Materials Inspector, and judges competitions for these groups. He chairs the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) School Bus Safety Task Force and co-chairs the I-95 Corridor Coalition Safety Track. Captain Dofflemyer earned his BA from the University of Maryland and did graduate work at Johns Hopkins University.
Bruce Hamilton, Amalgamated Transit Union, President, Local 1700 (Labor). Since 2005, Mr. Hamilton has served as the President of Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1700, representing Greyhound bus drivers, mechanics, and bus station workers nationwide. Prior to being elected president, he held many union positions and was a leader of union activities during and after two notorious, nationwide Greyhound strikes that resulted from deregulation of the intercity bus industry. Mr. Hamilton has been a vocal advocate for strict federal safety regulations for intercity bus operations. He has testified before subcommittees of the House Transportation Committee, at the Transportation Research Board, and at the Institute for Public Administration at the University of Delaware on intercity bus safety issues. He produced, with ATU International, the ATU’s white paper “Sudden Death Overtime.” Mr. Hamilton represented ATU at the most recent ITF Health & Safety Conference. He attended Grinnell College, New York University, the Friends World College, and the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Colonel Scott Hernandez, Colorado State Patrol (Enforcement). Colonel Scott Hernandez is the Chief of the Colorado State Patrol, having been named to this position in July 2013 by Governor John Hickenlooper after having served as Interim Chief since February. Col. Hernandez is a 26 year veteran of the CO State Patrol and CO Port of Entry, beginning his career with the state as an Officer at the Fort Collins Port of Entry in April 1987 and moving to the Colorado State Patrol in January 1991. Possessing a special interest in commercial motor vehicle safety, Col. Hernandez specializes in accident reconstruction, obtaining a Level IV Certification. He was one of four state participants to serve on the FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 program and was appointed to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee since 2009. Col. Hernandez led the CO State Patrol’s planning, security, and response team during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, earning the Citizens Appreciate State Troopers (CAST) Award for his efforts. Col. Hernandez is a graduate of the 246th Session of the FBI National Academy, the 216th Session of Northwestern Police Staff and Command School, and is a member of the International Chiefs of Police and the CO Association of Chiefs of Police.
Henry Jasny, Highway and Auto Safety (Safety). Mr. Jasny has served as General Counsel for the Advocates since 1991. In this capacity, he has performed extensive legal analyses on Federal motor vehicle and traffic safety legislation involving DOT agencies. Additionally, he supervises regulatory and rulemaking comments, drafts legislative proposals, and develops and implements policy statements for the Advocates. Prior to his service with the Advocates, Mr. Jasny was a staff attorney for the Center for Auto Safety and a trial attorney for the Legal Aid Society of New York. Mr. Jasny served as a member of the Obama-Biden DOT Agency Review Team and is an instructor on the Federal Advisory Committee Act for the GSA. He earned his undergraduate degree from New York University and his law degree at Brooklyn Law School. Mr. Jasny is a member of the DC Bar Association and the bar of the U. S. Supreme Court and Federal District and Appellate courts.
John Lannen, Truck Safety Coalition (Safety). Mr. Lannen has served as Executive Director of the Truck Safety Coalition since 2005. In this capacity, he has worked closely with truck crash survivors, their families, and other safety groups. As Executive Director, Mr. Lannen directs both non-profit partners of the Coalition, CRASH and Parents Against Tired Truckers (PATT). With a background in business, he founded and served as president of Strategic INFO, a web technology company. Mr. Lannen earned his BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary and his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business Management.
Jane Mathis, Parents Against Tired Truckers (Safety). Mrs. Mathis works as a realtor in St. Augustine, FL, and is a member of the Board of Directors of PATT. In 2004, her son, David, and his wife of three days, Mary Kathryn Forbes, were killed on the way home from their honeymoon by a tractor trailer whose driver was suspected of falling asleep at the wheel. This personal tragedy spurred Mrs. Mathis into action to try to help other families avoid such a fate. She has served as the Florida Volunteer Coordinator of the Truck Safety Coalition and has worked at the State, local, and national level to improve truck safety. Mrs. Mathis earned her BA in Biology from the Cedar Crest College for Women and her MS in Oceanography from Florida State University.
Robert Mills, Fort Worth, TX, Police Department (Enforcement). A 23-year law enforcement veteran, Officer Mills has spent the last 20 years with the Fort Worth Police Department. Officer Mills has thirteen years of commercial vehicle enforcement experience and was the founding member of his department’s commercial vehicle enforcement unit in 2002. Presently, Officer Mills is the Locals President for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. The senior officer in his unit, Officer Mills is a certified Level 1 Inspector, volunteers as a CMV traffic instructor at the police academy, and serves on the budget committee. He assists in the planning of the annual local DOT Inspector challenge and coordinates the department’s MCSAP grant enforcement activities. An active member of the local safety council, Officer Mills partners regularly with truck and bus companies to foster a relationship between enforcement and industry. Officer Mills earned his BS in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University.
Janice Mulanix, California Highway Patrol (Enforcement) with more than 20 years of commercial enforcement experience, all with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Janice Mulanix serves now as the Assistant Chief of the Enforcement and Planning Division. In this capacity, she provides direction and leadership to the commercial vehicle and field support sections and is the liaison with external organizations including the California Trucking Association and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. She oversees the commercial enforcement of a State that completes more than 450,000 vehicle inspections, conducts 18,000 terminal inspections, and provides more than 700 training seminars annually to the trucking community. Additionally, she provides leadership on the CHP’s statewide commercial program, as well as other enforcement and grant programs including distracted driving and driving under the influence. Chief Mulanix earned her B.S. in Occupational Studies from California State University at Long Beach and an A.A. in Administration of Justice from De Anza College in Cupertino, CA.
Donald Osterberg, Schneider National, Inc (Industry). Mr. Osterberg serves as senior vice president of safety, security and driver training for Schneider National, Inc. In this position he is responsible for safety, security, driver training, and regulatory compliance. Named Heavy Duty Trucking’s Fleet Innovator of the Year (2009), Osterberg’s extensive involvement has advanced the safety culture within Schneider National and the industry at large. The Truck Safety Coalition recognized Osterberg in 2010 with the 1st ever Distinguished Safety Leadership award. He is the Immediate Past Chairman of the American Trucking Associations’ Safety Policy Committee and the American Transportation Research Institute’s Research Advisory Committees and has had extensive involvement with the Transportation Research Board and the National Safety Council. Mr. Osterberg served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Colonel before retiring. He served as the strategic advisor to the President of the United States and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while serving on the National Airborne Operations Center staff, battalion command of the Army’s airbase defense battalion, and chief plans officer for the 1st Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Osterberg holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master’s degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Airborne School, Ranger School (Distinguished Honor Graduate); Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses; Command and General Staff College; School of Advanced Military Studies; Armed Forces Staff College (joint professional military education) and the U.S. Army War College.
Stephen C. Owings, Road Safe America (Safety). Mr. Owings worked in Corporate America for over 20 years and resigned from a senior management position to pursue an entrepreneurial career in the financial services industry, where he joined the Goodwin Agency of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. Stephen is the Founder and President of Road Safe America, a non-profit organization established after the death of his son, Cullum, in a crash with a tractor trailer. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Peter Pantuso, American Bus Association, Washington, DC (Industry). Since 1996, Mr. Pantuso has served as the President and CEO of the American Bus Association, North America’s largest motorcoach, tour, and travel association, representing more than 65% of all private motorcoaches on the highways. He is also president of the National Bus Traffic Association and the ABA Foundation. Conceived under his leadership, the ABA Foundation has awarded more than $400,000 in grants and scholarships. He earned his BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and his Masters of Association Management from The George Washington University School of Business and Government.
David R. Parker, Great West Casualty Company (Industry). Mr. Parker is the Senior Legal Counsel at Great West Casualty Company. His previous employment includes Executive Vice President-Administration, US Express Enterprises; Chairman, JTI, Inc. and Affiliated Companies; Partner, Rembolt, Ludtke, Parker, and Berger; Vice President and General Counsel, Crete Carrier Corporation; and Partner at Nelson and Harding Transportation Law Practice. Mr. Parker earned his B.S. from the University of Colorado and a J.D. with Distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. He resides in Lyons, CO.
Danny Schnautz, Clark Freight Lines, Inc., Pasadena, TX (Industry). Mr. Schnautz took his first truck ride at age three days old and subsequently grew up in his father’s trucks. Since then, he has worked as a full-time truck driver for more than 3 years, driving now on a part-time basis. He has an active Commercial Driver's License from the State of Texas. Mr. Schnautz has spent 20 years in the field of trucking operations and management and serves currently as Operations Manager of Clark Freight Lines, Inc., a company with 150 drivers and vehicles. Mr. Schnautz earned Associate Degrees in Business Management and in Aeronautical Technology from San Jacinto College in Pasadena and is active in transportation trade groups in Houston.
J. Todd Spencer, Owner Operators Independent Drivers Association (Industry). Mr. Spencer is the Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). Mr. Spencer began his career in trucking more than 30 years ago in 1974 as an employee-driver. He recalls developing a passion for big trucks as a child from his uncle who was a driver and purchased his first truck in 1976, initially traveling the Midwest, and later most of the country as an owner-operator pulling flatbeds and drop-deck trailers. In 1981, Todd sold his two trucks and assumed the role as Editor of the Association’s magazine, Land Line, and Communications Director for OOIDA. Todd used money from his truck sales to purchase a typesetter and copier so the magazine could be published in-house. In 1992, he was elected to his current position as Executive Vice President. Over the years, Todd has spearheaded OOIDA’s legislative efforts at federal and state levels, educating lawmakers on the life and concerns of the small business trucking professional. He has testified before various committees in the U.S. Congress and in state capitols on trucking issues and served on various committees of the CVSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as an industry representative.
Calvin Studivant, Community Coach (Labor). Mr. Studivant began his driving career as a school bus driver in rural Lawrenceville, VA. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1978-1981, he worked as a truck driver from October 1981 to September 1993, eventually becoming a part-time bus driver. He serves now as a motorcoach operator for Community Coach Bus Company in Paramus, NJ, which is part of the Stagecoach Group. Additionally, he is the Alternate Vice President East – Bus Department for the United Transportation Union. During his career, he has focused his efforts on achieving the highest level of safety possible in his profession. In his application, he expressed an interest in helping the MCSAC establish standards for motorcoach operator hours of service.
Jennifer Tierney, Alternate Voting Member, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (Safety). Jennifer Tierney serves on the Board of Directors of CRASH and has been a leading truck safety advocate for nearly thirty years. She started her advocacy soon after the underride crash which took the life of her father, James Mooney, who was killed when he crashed into a semi blocking the roadway on a dark, rural road. The semi did not have working lights, reflector tape or underride guards. Through her work with CRASH and the Underride Network, Jennifer was instrumental in securing the mandate requiring reflective tape on all heavy commercial vehicle trailers.
Tami Friedrich Trakh, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (Safety). Ms. Trakh works as a Management Services Officer in telecommunications for the University of California Riverside. In 1989, Ms. Trakh’s sister Kris, brother-in-law Alan, niece Brandie, and nephew Anthony were killed in a crash involving an overturned tanker truck with faulty brakes. Following the Friedrich family’s loss, Ms. Trakh has participated in national and California state-specific actions in support of truck safety improvements. Ms. Trakh has worked as a volunteer for CRASH since its inception in 1990 and currently serves on its Board of Directors, as well as acting as a volunteer for the Truck Safety Coalition’s Survivor’s Network. Ms. Trakh earned her B.S. in Business Administration from National University.