DOT – Working for You

From May 1-7, DOT is celebrating public service recognition week. Not only do we honor our employees for their dedication and service this week, but we also want to highlight the work we do to keep citizens safe and connected to their communities through our vast transportation system.

Many of us take transportation for granted. Our transportation system – cars, trains, buses, public transit, trucks, airplanes – gets us to work, delivers good and services, unites us with family and friends, connects people with opportunity, and ensures our country’s global competitiveness.

The top priorities at DOT are to keep the traveling public safe and secure, increase their mobility, and have our transportation system contribute to the nation's economic growth. DOT employs almost 55,000 people across the country, in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) and its Operating Administrations and bureaus.

In honor of DOT’s 50^th Anniversary, we are proud to share . . .

50 Ways DOT Works for You

1. Oversees the formulation of national transportation policy
2. Negotiates and implements international transportation agreements
3. Guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public transportation
4. Operates and maintains a safe, reliable, and efficient waterway for commercial and noncommercial vessels between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean
5. Assists in developing improved mass transportation systems for cities and communities nationwide
6. Conducts research and development tests to evaluate projects in support of its safety mission
7. Investigates safety defects in motor vehicles
8. Provides financial, technical and planning assistance to communities for buses, commuter ferryboats, trolleys, inclined railways, subways, and people movers
9. Regulates and encourages the U.S. commercial space transportation industry
10. Enforces regulations under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act for shipments by air
11. Enforces airline consumer protection regulations
12. Issues regulations to prevent alcohol and illegal drug misuse in transportation systems
13. Funds construction and maintenance of the interstate highways, urban and rural roads and bridges that link the country
14. Provides access to and within national forests, national parks, Indian reservations, and other public lands by preparing plans and contracts, supervising construction facilities, and conducting bridge inspections and surveys
15. Maintains the safest air traffic control system in the world
16. Created http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchSafetyIssues, a tool that lets you enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to quickly learn if a specific vehicle has not been repaired as part of a safety recall in the last 15 years
17. Oversees the safety of the civil aviation
18. Operates the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
19. Issues and enforces regulations and standards related to the manufacture, operation, certification and maintenance of aircraft
20. Certifies airmen, air carriers, and airports to ensure safety
21. Launched www.nhtsa.gov/everyoneisapedestrian with safety tips and resources for local leaders, city planners, parents and others involved in improving pedestrian safety
22. Works to prevent distracted driving
23. Operates an extensive network of airport towers, air route traffic control centers, and flight service stations
24. Develops air traffic rules, allocates the use of airspace, and provides for the security control of air traffic to meet national defense requirements
25. Coordinates highway transportation programs in cooperation with states and other partners to enhance the country's safety, economic vitality, quality of life, and the environment
26. Constructs and installs visual and electronic aids to air navigation
27. Licenses commercial space launch facilities and private sector launches
28. Keeps passengers and freight flowing freely through the St. Lawrence Seaway
29. Ensures safety in motor carrier operations through strong enforcement of safety regulations, targeting high-risk carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers
30. Improves safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies
31. Strengthens commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards
32. Increases transportation safety awareness
33. Employs safety inspectors to monitor railroad compliance with federally mandated safety standards including track maintenance, inspection standards and operating practices
34. Improves safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies
35. Conducts public education campaigns on highway-rail grade crossing safety and the danger of trespassing on rail property
36. Promotes development and maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced, United States merchant marine, sufficient to carry the Nation's domestic waterborne commerce and a substantial portion of its waterborne foreign commerce
37. Helps plan, build, and operate transit systems with convenience, cost, and accessibility as key drivers
38. Strengthens commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards
39. Assures the fitness of U.S. airlines
40. Works to ensure that the United States maintains adequate shipbuilding and repair service, efficient ports, effective intermodal water and land transportation systems, and reserve shipping capacity in time of national emergency
41. Sets and enforces safety performance standards for motor vehicles and equipment
42. Conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety to develop the most efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements
43. Sets and enforces fuel economy standards
44. Helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers
45. Promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats, and air bags
46. Establishes and enforces vehicle anti-theft regulations
47. Oversees the safety of more than 800,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials
48. Promotes transportation solutions that enhance communities and protect the natural environment
49. Works to eliminate transportation-related deaths and injuries
50. Works to develop trade opportunities to benefit port communities, shippers and receivers and related industries along the St. Lawrence Seaway