U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater Announces Bilingual Training Tool For Truckers Carrying Hazardous Materials

Topics:  Rodney E. Slater

Office of Motor Carrier Safety
December 3, 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 3, 1999
Contact: David Longo
Tel: (202) 366-0456
OMCS 1-99

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced that U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Motor Carrier Safety (OMCS) is offering a free, CD/ROM-based English-Spanish training program about the legal requirements for commercial vehicle drivers and others involved in carrying hazardous materials.

As a result of the nation's booming economy, truck traffic has increased, including shipments of hazardous materials across the southern border into "commercial zones." OMCS developed the new bilingual training program for its Hispanic partners.

"This project is another tool to help improve safety, which is President Clinton's and Vice-President Gore's highest transportation priority," said Secretary Slater. "This training program is user-friendly and will make it easier for Spanish speaking carriers and their drivers to become familiar with U.S. federal hazardous materials regulations."

The CD/ROM program contains files for the training manual, slide presentations, tests, answer keys and certificates. OMCS also plans to put this hazardous materials training tool on its web site so that the information may be easily downloaded. The targeted users of the program are primarily employees of companies engaged in the shipping and transporting of hazardous materials into and out of Mexico.

A copy of the CD may be obtained by faxing a request to the Office of Motor Carrier Safety, Southern Resource Center at (404) 562-3704 or the Western Resource Center at (415) 744-2665. Additional information is available from Bill Byrd, national project coordinator, at (202) 366-4111 or e-mail: william.byrd@fhwa.dot.gov.