U.S. Department of Transportation: A Reference History

by Donald R. Whitnah

Overview

Tracing the antecedents and the creation of the U.S. Department of Transportation, this work assesses its role in both the control of transportation and the encouragement of big businesses in the industry. The U.S. government has struggled for over a century with the complex issue of transportation regulation. The prevailing view from the 1880s until recently was to consider private transportation a public utility, which led to the creation of the DOT in 1966. This work covers much of the regulation/deregulation debates from Hoover to the Nixon presidencies, and focuses on the bipartisan crescendo for deregulation led by Gerald Ford and Edward Kennedy. Whitnah also analyzes the heated debate over airline deregulation that resumed in the Carter years and continues to have an impact today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313283406
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/26/1998
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

DONALD R. WHITNAH is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Northern Iowa. His other works include Safer Skyways (1967), Salzburg Under Siege (Greenwood, 1991), The American Occupation of Austria (Greenwood, 1985), and Government Agencies (Greenwood, 1983).

Table of Contents

Preface
The Road to DOT
Gerald Ford and Deregulation
Debate in 1978
Federal Railroad Administration
Highway Controls
Scrutiny of Trucking
ICC's Legacy
On the Waterways
Universities and Aviation
DOT-FAA, Stormy Years
Progress with Problems
Reflections-Conclusions
Biographical Profiles
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Exploring the theme of the legitimate degree of government regulation over transportation economic and safety issues, Whitnah (history, U. of Northern Iowa) provides a historical perspective on the rocky road to the establishment of the US Department of Transportation in 1966. Discussion includes: contesting of regulations by the trucking, railroad, waterways, and aviation industries; deregulation since 1978 and the ensuing chaos; and concerns over Federal Aviation Administration oversight of airline safety and traffic control. Contains a helpful list of acronyms, and biographical profiles of DOT officials. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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