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September 16, 1999 9:15 AM, EDT

Julie Cirillo was in an unenviable position during a National Transportation Safety Board hearing on truck safety in April.

Winding down her career at the Federal Highway Administration, she was asked to take over the Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety in the midst of a scandal and controversy over the three-year rise in truck-related fatalities.

Sitting in the glare of television cameras, Cirillo described her 67-point safety action plan to cut fatalities. NTSB Chairman Jim Hall interrupted her, saying, “We’ve heard all of this before. What’s different?” Cirillo looked Hall in the eye and said, “I’m in charge here.”

While her characteristically blunt response surprised many at the FHWA and in trucking, statistics show that Cirillo is making changes as trucking’s chief regulator.

For the full story, see the Sept. 13 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.