Her appointment is not yet official, but Acting FMCSA Administrator Annette Sandberg said May 8 her top goal in the $140,000-a-year post is to reduce fatalities and injuries related to commercial motor vehicles, The Associated Press reports.

Sandberg has been acting administrator of the 3-year-old motor carrier agency since December, when President Bush appointed her. She had previously served as deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sandberg, 41, a native of Moses Lake, WA, served for six years as head of the Washington State Patrol -- the first woman in the country to lead a state police agency.

Sandberg told a Senate committee at her confirmation hearing the agency is off to a good start. The number of people who died in large truck accidents declined 3.5 percent in 2002 to 4,902, according to government estimates released last month.

Sandberg attributed much of the decrease to creation of the motor carrier agency in January 2000. Congress has spent more money on truck safety and increased grants to states for more frequent inspections, she said.

She also praised the trucking industry, which she said "has stepped up to the plate" on safety issues.

"A lot of responsible companies want to share the road with other vehicles and do it in a safe manner, and I think that's evidenced in these numbers," she said.

HOS issue

Meanwhile, Sandberg said she was confident truckdrivers will adjust to the new hours-of-service rules, but said truckers alone cannot guarantee the safety of commercial traffic. Car drivers also must recognize the importance of sharing the road, she said.

"When you cut in front of an 18-wheeler and slam on the brakes, you have to understand they cannot stop on a dime," she said.

Despite the common perception of trucks as dangerous, only 11 percent of the nearly 43,000 total highway deaths last year involved large trucks.

"That (statistic) runs somewhat counter to public perception," Sandberg said, adding that part of her job as administrator is to increase public awareness of truck and bus safety.

No one spoke against Sandberg at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. A vote on the nomination could come as soon as next month.