WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opened nominations for an overhauled Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee (MCSAC) that raises the profile of small-business truckers but deemphasizes the role of organized labor. FMCSA’s 2026 member solicitation incorporates changes made under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which required that “small business motor carriers” – which make up the majority of the trucking industry – get a protected seat on the panel, along with individual owner-operator drivers. At the same time, labor is no longer listed as a primary group, as had been the case in every charter from 2006 to 2021, when “nonprofit employee labor organizations” was considered as an essential pillar of the committee, garnering membership from unions like the Teamsters. While labor officials are not barred from joining the 2026 panel, representation is now at the discretion of the Transportation Secretary. “The Department [of Transportation] is interested in ensuring membership is balanced fairly in terms of the points of view represented and the functions to be performed by the advisory committee,” FMCSA stated in a notice published on Wednesday. For the trucking industry, the panel reset means that advisory recommendations on pilot programs such as split-duty hours and sleeper berth flexibility will more likely be viewed through the lens of small-business feasibility rather than union-backed mandates – particularly given that the cap on membership has been cut to 20 members from the previous charter’s 25, making every seat more valuable. In addition to hours-of-service-focused pilots, the new…
