WASHINGTON Democrats sent another strong signal last month that if they win the White House and retain control of Congress in the November elections, there could be major changes at the federal agency that regulates bus and truck safety.

The latest indication of trouble for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration came in the form of a report from the Senate Appropriations Committee that blasted the agencys safety enforcement, especially its regulation of the trucking industry.

"Unfortunately, FMCSA has shown a pattern of undermining its safety mission by proposing weak regulations and failing to provide adequate oversight and enforcement of existing regulations," said the committee report.

"FMCSAs performance has been criticized not only by the committee, but by the USDOT Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as the courts," the report added.

Even though some of the programs criticized in the Senate report are currently in the rulemaking process, the agencys overall efforts fall far short of pleasing committee members.

Some bus industry observers maintain the Senate report is unfair and one-sided.

"You can start with the huge distraction that Congress plays by constantly having FMCSA Administrator John Hill testifying at hearings for Whining Mothers against Burly Truckers. And NAFTA.

"John Hill has a remarkable record and no doubt a legacy with CSA 2010 (a major overhaul of the agencys safety programs that is nearing completion)," said one industry executive who monitors the FMCSA.

There is no question the FMCSA has made strong enemies among Democrats in Congress, along with trucking unions and safety advocates.

The opening up of the southern border to Mexican trucks offended all three groups; its long, drawn out hours-of-service rulemaking for truckers has been unpopular with these groups as well, and its failure to act more quickly on a number of safety issues has resulted in strong criticism in many quarters.

The Senate report targets a handful of key issues, including:

Hours-of-service rulemaking for truckers

Strengthening and clarifying elements of the commercial drivers license programs

Drug testing of commercial drivers

Overseeing the health of commercial vehicle drivers

Promoting compliance with regulations by motor carriers through the inspection process

Targeting high-risk motor carriers

While the report gives the FMCSA credit for advancing rulemakings in these areas and the creation of a database thats intended to fine-tune the motor carrier inspection process, FMCSAs past performance in regulatory development and oversight hurt its request for funding for fiscal 09.

The committee allocated nearly $9.2 million for regulatory development and oversight. That is $1.5 million less than in fiscal 2008, and $500,000 less than requested.

"As the committee has noted, FMCSA has continually put out rules that are struck down by the courts," the report states.

"Since the agency proposes rules that continually fail to meet the intent of important safety mandates and instead develops rules with data and processes questioned by the courts, the committee agrees with the departments decision to cut funding for this activity."