DOT 162-10
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Office of Public Affairs
Tel: 202-366-4570

U.S. Department of Transportation Moves up in Best Places to Work Federal Government Survey

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today applauded the Department of Transportation’s significant rise in the Partnership for Public Service’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings.

The Department of Transportation enjoyed one of the greatest improvements in the index among the large agencies with a 15.8 percent increase over 2009, placing 26 out of 32 in the 2010 survey. The results follow a year in which Secretary LaHood initiated a series of town hall meetings with employees across the country to hear their concerns and begin to turn the Department’s rankings around.

“We are committed to our employees and to creating a workplace where they are valued and feel good about coming to work every day,” said Secretary LaHood. “DOT employees are some of the most professional people I’ve met during my time in public service. We aspire to be the top choice for people seeking a rewarding career in transportation.”

Secretary LaHood led the effort to improve upon the Department’s 2009 ranking by focusing on the competencies of first-line supervisors in the areas of effective leadership, empowerment, employee engagement and ethics. Further, an employee satisfaction goal was included in all Senior Executive Service (SES) performance plans.

In addition to holding town hall meetings with employees, Secretary LaHood also asked his agency administrators to meet regularly with employees, to focus on leadership development and internal communications, and to create tailored action plans, which included measurable benchmarks for their agencies.

The Department of Transportation also saw its highest response rate ever, with 67 percent of its employees taking the survey. The federal government’s overall response rate was 52.2 percent.

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to revitalize the federal workforce by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works. The Best Places to Work rankings can be accessed at http://bestplacestowork.org/BPTW/rankings/overall/large 

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DOT 161-10
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Contact:  Bill Mosley
Tel.:  (202) 366-4570

DOT Updates “Fly Rights” Airline Consumer Guide

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today unveiled an updated version of Fly Rights: A Consumer Guide to Air Travel, its popular guide to air travelers’ rights.

“We take the rights of airline passengers very seriously,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “Ensuring that the flying public has access to the best possible resources and consumer information is an important part of our mission, and this new version of Fly Rights will help air travelers better understand their rights as consumers.”

Since it was first published in 1973, Fly Rights has provided air travelers with helpful advice on such issues as how to get the best airfare, what to expect when a flight is delayed or canceled, and how to avoid travel scams.  The guide provides easy-to-read information on federal airline regulations in a number of areas, including accommodating air travelers with disabilities and rules for bumping and baggage compensation.  Fly Rights also contains information on airline safety, air traveler health and how to file official complaints against airlines.

The latest version of Fly Rights released today includes updated information on the Department of Transportation’s new consumer protections, including the three-hour limit on tarmac delays for domestic flights, the requirement for large airlines to display on-time performance information for domestic flights on their websites, and the requirement for airlines to respond to consumer complaints about an air travel experience.  It also features new formatting and graphics to make it easier to read.   Fly Rights is available online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm.

In addition to Fly Rights, the Department recently developed another guide to assist the flying public. This pamphlet, entitled When Kids Fly Alone, provides air travel tips for parents of unaccompanied minors.  When Kids Fly Alone is available online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/KidsAlone.pdf.

Print copies of both Fly Rights and When Kids Fly Alone may be obtained free of charge from the DOT warehouse by e-mail at dotwarehouse@dot.gov or by writing to DOT Warehouse, 3341-Q 75th Ave., Lanham, MD 20785.   Copies also are available in limited bulk quantities to airlines and airports.  Please specify item number X0111A for Fly Rights and X0176 for When Kids Fly Alone.

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FMCSA 11-10
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Contact: Candice Tolliver
Tel:  202-366-9999

U.S. Department of Transportation Strengthens Commercial Bus Safety with National Passenger Carrier Strike Force

WASHINGTON — At an event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. today, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Ann Ferro joined state and local officials at a commercial bus checkpoint to observe the safety inspection of motor coaches, tour buses and other commercial passenger vehicles.   

The Washington, D.C. checkpoint was part of FMCSA’s annual national Passenger Carrier Strike Force, during which federal, state and local police agencies conduct thousands of motorcoach, charter bus and other passenger carrier inspections at popular travel destinations across the U.S.   The sweep runs from August 23 to September 4 and is taking place in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.  

 “Safety is our number one priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  “We owe it to the millions of passengers who travel on commercial buses to make sure that every bus on the road is as safe as possible.”

“By taking the Passenger Carrier Strike Force to some of the nation’s busiest travel destinations, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be able to reach a greater number of carriers and remove unsafe vehicles and drivers from the road,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “This safety initiative is a crucial part of our efforts to prevent crashes and save lives.”

In addition to these strike force sweeps, FMCSA performs roadside safety inspections of commercial buses on a daily basis throughout the year.  In 2009 alone, FMCSA and its law enforcement partners inspected more than 130,000 commercial buses, which led FMCSA to place 4.3 percent of bus drivers and 7.6 percent of buses out-of-service for violations ranging from significant vehicle deficiencies to hours-of-service non-compliance. FMCSA also performs strike force sweeps of household goods movers and drug and alcohol compliance throughout the year.

FMCSA strongly encourages travelers considering passenger carrier transportation to visit the agency’s website and review a carrier’s safety records at http://www.ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Passenger/home.asp.  FMCSA also encourages the public to report unsafe carriers and incidents to its safety hotline at 1-888-DOT-SAFT or online at http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov.                       ###

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DOT 160-10
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Contact:  Rob Kulat
Tel:  202-493-6024

USDOT Announces New, Historic Uniform High-Speed Rail Design Standards to Help U.S. Manufacturers to Compete

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the first-ever uniform technical standards for the manufacture of high-speed intercity passenger rail cars, a development that will enhance the ability of U.S. manufacturers to compete in what is set to become a burgeoning industry. 

 “As part of the Obama Administration’s focus on maximizing manufacturing opportunities, these first-ever uniform standards will provide an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers in the U.S. – from rails to wheel bearings, to final assembly – to build a strong, stable manufacturing base,” said Secretary LaHood. 

A uniform standard creates a level playing field and economies of scale based on a common set of designs and technical requirements allowing U.S. based manufacturers to more effectively compete.  Fostering healthy economic competition will drive down costs for rail owners and operators and the traveling public.  Further, maintenance and repair costs will be lower because of lower parts acquisition costs.  And, training can be streamlined with just one type of equipment, allowing faster turnaround for repairs.

The first technical standard will apply to bi-level passenger rail cars for use in high-speed passenger rail operations.

“This is a milestone in the history of rail transportation,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.  “These standardized bi-level passenger rail cars will be able to operate nationwide and are compatible with existing equipment. A common design also makes it easier to train maintenance personnel, stock parts and perform repairs, which reduces costs.” 

New bi-level cars will meet all current safety requirements and regulations, as well as be able to satisfy future regulations for crash energy management.  As existing passenger rail vehicles are replaced, the addition of new stock will enhance system safety.

The standards will ensure that newly manufactured cars can be used with the current passenger locomotive fleet, either alone or with existing bi-level cars, and are designed to accommodate entry and departure from low-level platforms.   The new cars will also be Americans with Disabilities Act -compliant.

Similar standards for single-level passenger rail cars are expected to be adopted by the end of the year. 

The establishment of technical standards for high-speed rail operations is required by the Passenger Railroad Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 and was developed by the Technical Subcommittee of the Section 305 Next Generation Equipment Committee.  Members include the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak and state Departments of Transportation. The subcommittee also received input and participation from rail industry manufacturers, freight railroads and transportation associations.

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BTS 41-10
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Contact: Kim Riddle
Tel:  202-366-5128     

BTS Releases North American Surface Trade Numbers for June:
June 2010 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 37.6 Percent from June 2009
(State Rankings in Tables 5 and 7)

            Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 37.6 percent higher in June 2010 than in June 2009, reaching $69.9 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (Table 1). 

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in June 2010 remained 5.8 percent below the June 2008 level despite the 2009-2010 increase (Table 3). North American surface freight value rose 4.6 percent in June 2010 from May 2010 (Table 2).  Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors. 

            U.S.–Canada surface transportation trade totaled $42.0 billion in June, up 35.5 percent compared to June 2009. U.S.–Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $27.8 billion in June, up 41.0 percent compared to June 2009. 

            Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. In June, 86.6 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land.

            See BTS Transborder Data Release for summary tables, state rankings and additional data. See North American Transborder Freight Data for historic data.

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