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January 26, 1999 3:54 PM, EST

CORONADO, Calif. — Trucking and highway safety groups should seek to reduce their fighting and find a common ground, according to a board member of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways.

“We share common goals. We should work together to try and solve problems,” said Richard Katz, a former chairman of the California Assembly’s Transportation Committee who was mentioned in 1997 as a possible candidate to run the Federal Highway Administration.

Speaking at the California Trucking Association’s annual management conference, Mr. Katz said CRASH wants to reduce the number of traffic accidents and fatalities by 35% by 2005. He said law enforcement should focus on trucking companies and drivers with bad safety records.

Mr. Katz, who participated in a panel discussion on motor carrier safety, also spoke to the association’s board of directors at a private lunch. He was asked to give members information on the group’s safety position, said Warren Hoemann, vice president of the association.

Mr. Katz along with Dan Beal, transportation policy manager of the Southern California Auto Club, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, said their organizations oppose any changes in the maximum truck lengths and weights.

For the full story, see the Jan. 25 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.