Volume 11, Edition 11 (posted 11/26/2008)

We hope you all have a pleasant and food filled Thanksgiving holiday.  With the economy in shambles it may be difficult to focus on what is really important but hopefully we all have something and someone to be thankful for.

The election, of course, has dominated the news.  Now that it is over, and we have a President Elect, thoughts are already on January and his anticipated impact on every aspect of life.  President Elect Obama has announced his DOT transition team, which includes Mortimer Downey, former DOT deputy secretary under President Clinton; Jane Garvey, head of the U.S. public-private partnerships at JPMorgan and former official with both the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration; Michael Huerta, group president of ACS Transportation Solution and a Clinton-era DOT official, John Cullather, the majority staff director for the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and Carol Carmody, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board. The overseer of the group is Seth Harris, a professor at New York Law School.

Who will be selected to head the DOT remains a mystery.  The Associated Press reports that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, former Deputy Transportation Secretary Mortimer Downey and Jane Garvey, the former head of the Federal Aviation Administration and member of the transition team, are all names that have been circulated as possible heads of the DOT.

In other news:
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Volume 11, Edition 10 (posted 10/28/2008)

Over the years we have been asked by many of our customers why there is no central location in which insurers could report that payments have been made on behalf of a motor carrier solely as a result of cargo or auto filings.  While report can be made to the FMCSA we understand that they take no action and third parties have no access to that information.  In order to assist our subscribers we are considering implementing a program which would allow insurers to report on carriers where filing liability incurred.  As our focus is always to make sure that you “Know Your Insured” the information would then be part of our database and underwriters who participate would have access to that information when considering a motor carrier for insurance. 

In order to consider whether underwriters would be interested in such a program, we would ask that you e-mail us and let us know your thoughts. If the overall response is receptive we will move forward to design such a program.  Please e-mail Jean Gardner, or simply reply to this report.
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