MINUTES OF THE
JOINT meeting of the Assembly Committee on Transportation
AND THE
Senate Committee on Transportation
Seventy-second Session
February 13, 2003
The Joint Assembly Committee on Transportation and the Senate Committee on Transportation was called to order at 1:34 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, 2003. Chairman Vonne Chowning presided in Room 4100 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada, and via simultaneous videoconference, in Room 4401 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, Las Vegas, Nevada. Exhibit A is the Agenda. Exhibit B is the Guest List. All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.
Assembly Committee on Transportation MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mrs. Vonne Chowning, Chairwoman
Ms. Genie Ohrenschall, Vice Chairman
Mr. Kelvin Atkinson
Mr. John C. Carpenter
Mr. Jerry D. Claborn
Mr. Tom Collins
Mr. Pete Goicoechea
Mr. Don Gustavson
Mr. Ron Knecht
Mr. Mark Manendo
Mr. John Oceguera
Mr. Rod Sherer
Senate Committee on Transportation MEMBERS PRESENT:
Senator Raymond C. Shaffer, Chairman
Senator Dennis Nolan, Vice Chairman
Senator Mark E. Amodei
Senator Terry Care
Senator Maggie Carlton
Senator Warren B. Hardy
Senator Michael Schneider
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
None
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
Marji Paslov Thomas, Committee Policy Analyst
Sandy Arraiz, Committee Secretary
William E. Fowler, Committee Secretary
Lee-Ann Keever, Committee Secretary
OTHERS PRESENT:
Ginny Lewis, Director, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
Dana Mathiesen, Deputy Director, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
Krys Bart, Executive Director, Airport Authority of Washoe County
Randall H. Walker, Director, Department of Aviation, Clark County
Daryl Capurro, Managing Director, Nevada Motor Transport Association, Inc.
Lieutenant Jim Peterson, Nevada Highway Patrol
Bruce McCrae, United Parcel Service
Chairwoman Chowning said this was a very historical occasion in that the Senate and Assembly Transportation Committees were meeting together. She stated that the Committees would have a full agenda today. She explained that the meeting was being conducted through a simultaneous videoconference to Room 4401 of the Grant Sawyer Office Building, Las Vegas.
Chairwoman Chowning stated that representatives of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Airport Authority of Washoe County, McCarran International Airport in Clark County, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration “No Zone Program” would make presentations. She said that after the meeting was adjourned, the members would assemble in front of the Legislative Building to see a truck used to educate the public about the view conditions experienced by those driving such vehicles.
Chairwoman Chowning then introduced Ginny Lewis of the DMV.
Ginny Lewis, Director, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), thanked the Committee for the opportunity to present an overview of the DMV. She said that Dana Mathiesen, Deputy Director, would present for the DMV. She said that Ms. Mathiesen would talk about the divisions of DMV, provide statistics, summarize legislation implemented during the last two years, share new initiatives, describe some of the challenges faced by DMV, and the future plans of DMV. She noted the Department was very excited about their accomplishments and where they were headed in the future.
Dana Mathiesen, Deputy Director, DMV, said the DMV was proud of its accomplishments. She provided a binder with details of the presentation (Exhibit C). She pointed out that since 2001, DMV and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) were separate entities. This had allowed the DMV to concentrate on motor vehicle issues, develop a mission and strategic plan specific for the DMV, and focus on training needs and development.
She called members’ attention to the strategic plan and mission statements at the beginning of Exhibit C.
Ms. Mathiesen said that the DMV now had 1,043 employees in 6 divisions. She explained that three of the divisions were primarily focused on external customer services: Compliance Enforcement, Field Services, and Central Services. She mentioned that the other three divisions were oriented towards internal customer service and support: Motor Vehicle Information Technology, Management Services and Programs, and Administrative Services. She stated that the divisions shared a number of processes, and this required them to work together to achieve their common goals and to rely upon each other to achieve the divisional and department goals.
Ms. Mathiesen said the administrative team had 150 years of experience working at the DMV. She acknowledged the presence of each DMV division head and gave a brief presentation about that person’s division as follows:
· Mr. Russ Benzler, Administrator, Compliance Enforcement Division, which had 95 employees. This division was the regulatory arm of the DMV, and it was the only division of the DMV with sworn peace officers. The personnel of this division regulated the businesses licensed by the DMV, the vehicle emission testing program, and administered the state’s fuel tax and commercial vehicle licensing laws.
· Martha Barnes, Administrator, Central Services and Records Division, which had 184 employees. This division had 14 program areas. This group facilitated all of the centralized processes and all of the documentation completed in the DMV. Some of this division’s program areas included the centralized telephone center, the insurance verification program, license review, titles, renewal by mail, and the tag plant or license plate factory.
· Clay Thomas, Administrator, Field Services, which had 609 employees. The people in this division worked in the field offices, and they issued titles, registrations, and driver’s licenses to residents over counters throughout the state.
· Jim Parsons, Administrator, Management Services and Programs, which had 27 employees. This division provided management services to all of the other divisions in the DMV, including regulation, procedure development, training, and project management services.
· Chuck Conner, Data Processing Manager II, Motor Vehicle Information Technology, which had 45 employees. This group provided all computer services for the DMV, including programming, network support, systems support, and production control.
· Dennis Colling, Chief, Administrative Services, which had 55 employees. This staff provided all fiscal services, budget analysis, and facilities management services for the DMV.
Ms. Mathiesen stated that after the DMV became a separate department, work processes were reviewed and inefficient processes were identified. Consequently, the DMV was reorganized to: (1) provide for a clear chain-of-command, (2) improve customer services, (3) establish consistency in program areas, and (4) increase program effectiveness. She noted a summary of those changes was included in Exhibit C. She explained the proposed changes were included in the Department Budget and thus, she did not provide detail at that point.
Ms. Mathiesen explained the divisions that provided internal customer services to the other divisions got their workload from project requests submitted by the other division administrators and they prioritized them.
Ms. Mathiesen next talked about the 10-year recap of the DMV revenue distribution by fiscal year for the period of 1992-1993 through 2001-2002. She pointed out that the revenue collected and distributed by the DMV for fiscal years 2000-2001 was over $465 million and 2001-2002 was $667.5 million. She stated that DMV estimated about $850 million would be collected and distributed during FY2002-2003.
Ms. Mathiesen discussed how registration fees were distributed. She stated that Nevada had a basic $33 registration fee, and the remaining fees were related to governmental services taxes or supplemental governmental services taxes, which were previously called privilege taxes. Governmental services taxes were distributed to the state’s cities, counties, and school districts.
Ms. Mathiesen explained that the next few charts in Exhibit C provided statistics from the Field Services Division.
Chairwoman Chowning explained that 68 percent of registration fees were distributed to public entities. She mentioned that many people were not aware of this.
Chairwoman Chowning recognized former Senator Jacobsen, who honorably served in the Nevada State Senate. She praised his military service to the United States, lauded his former handling of a number of budgets for various state agencies, and thanked him for his thoughtful treatment of state employees.
Ms. Mathiesen talked about DMV transactions completed at the five major metropolitan field offices with Qmatic Systems. She stated that since 2000, there had been a 25 percent increase in the number of transactions handled by those offices. In FY2002, the field offices served about 1.4 million customers, which was a 3.6 percent increase over those served in FY2001. Since FY2000, there was a 12-minute decrease in the average wait times in the major metropolitan field offices. She stated that although most of the major metropolitan field offices were not consistently meeting the DMV’s goal of handling a customer in one hour or less, they were consistently meeting the DMV’s goal of serving more people in less time. She cited examples of reduced waiting times since 2000 for the following offices: (1) Flamingo, in Las Vegas which employed 111 people, wait reduced by 20 minutes, (2) Henderson with 93 employees, wait reduced by 11 minutes, and (3) Sahara with 106 employees, also in Las Vegas, decreased wait time by 20 minutes.
Ms. Mathiesen said the exception to this trend was the Carey Avenue office with 75 employees in North Las Vegas, where the waiting time had increased by six minutes. The reasons for this were that the Carey office had fewer employees than the other major metropolitan field offices, although its transaction count was similar to that of other offices. The Carey office had a diverse group of customers which created some language barriers that slowed transactions, and due to this, customers did not always bring the necessary documentation. Because of this, she said, the DMV would be piloting a kiosk system in the Carey office later in the year which she would explain later.
Next, Ms. Mathiesen talked about the Reno office on Galetti Way, a major metropolitan field office with 94 employees. She stated that since 2000, this office had decreased the average wait time by 14 minutes.
Chairwoman Chowning said that it appeared the longest average wait time was 90 minutes at the Carey office. She said the average wait time used to be several hours, so that an average wait time of a little more than an hour was a very good change.
Ms. Mathiesen said the average wait time at the Carey office for FY2002 was 89 minutes.
Chairwoman Chowning asked what the average waiting time was for the other offices and if it was less than one hour.
Ms. Mathiesen stated that the average waiting times for the following offices were: (1) Flamingo, 67 minutes, (2) Henderson, 67 minutes, (3) Sahara, 77 minutes, and (4) Reno Galetti, 49 minutes. She said the Reno office was the only major metropolitan field office consistently staying below the one-hour average wait time.
Senator Carlton asked if the average wait time included the time for all the services offered by each office. She noted it might take 4 hours to get through permit or driver’s license testing, yet only 30 minutes to renew license plates.
Ms. Mathiesen replied that the average wait time was based on three components. She said it consisted of the time the customer waited in the information line to receive a Qmatic ticket, the time from when the customer received a ticket until the customer arrived at the counter for services, and the time the customer spent at the counter obtaining services.
Senator Carlton said it was her recollection that a customer merely had to stand at the information desk in order to take the driver’s permit test and/or to sign up for the driver’s license test. She then asked if those were included in the average wait time.
Ms. Mathiesen stated that was not the case. She also mentioned there were some functions completed at the information desk, in which case the customer was not required to take a ticket. Some of the activities included giving customers temporary movement permits or copies of their driving records.
Ms. Mathiesen then discussed the Central Services Driver License Withdrawal Section. She said that section, which consisted of 19 employees, took all action against driver’s licenses. Since FY2000 there has been 21 percent decrease in the number of DUI related withdrawal actions. Conversely, there had been a 41 percent increase in the number of all other withdrawal actions during the same time period. She stated there were 231 different withdrawal codes used to take action against a driver’s license.
Ms. Mathiesen next talked about the section responsible for microfilming. She explained that this section microfilmed all documentation pertaining to driver’s licenses and titles, including all work handled by Field and Central Services divisions. This group also microfilmed all citations, accidents, traffic safety school notices, and withdrawal actions that were placed on driving records. In FY2000, this section received an average of 420,000 documents per month to be microfilmed. In FY2003 to date, this group had received an average of 675,000 documents each month, which was a 60 percent increase in volume.
Chairwoman Chowning asked if the DMV had received a 60 percent increase in funding in view of the 60 percent increase of documents processed by the microfilming group. Ms. Mathiesen said that was not the case.
Senator Care wondered if the average waiting times were different based on the day of the week, time of the year, or the time of the day.
Ms. Mathiesen said that the DMV field offices were generally busier during lunch times, towards the end of the day, and on Mondays and Fridays.
Assemblyman Manendo asked Ms. Mathiesen to what extent the DMV was understaffed, and the number of employees required so that the DMV could perform adequate service to its customers. He said average wait times were a major concern. He explained that when he became aware he would be on the Committee for the first time, he decided to renew his driver’s license at the Henderson office. He said it took almost three hours to complete his transaction.
Ginny Lewis, Director, DMV, addressed that question and said the DMV had a proposal in its budget to address the staffing shortfall and to reduce the average wait time in the metropolitan field offices. She stated that while the average wait times had decreased over the past several years, improvements could still be made. She said there were a number of reasons why the DMV technicians assigned to the metropolitan field offices were not available to serve the public and staff the windows. She explained that statistics indicated that about 30 percent of the technicians were not available. Because of the DMV’s current staffing level, there were not enough technicians to staff every window.
Ms. Lewis explained that under the circumstances, the DMV had requested an additional 169 technicians to work in the metropolitan field offices and in the Carson City office. She pointed out that Carson City was included because it was believed that the citizens of Carson Valley would benefit if services were provided on Saturdays. With this request for additional technicians, the DMV would have a 130 percent staffing level. Ms. Lewis opined that level of staffing would provide 100 percent coverage at the field office windows. She also stated there was only so much the DMV could do at any metropolitan field office as there were a finite number of windows.
Assemblyman Manendo thanked Ms. Lewis for her explanation. He told Chairwoman Chowning that this was the kind of information he was interested in receiving because of budget constraints and the tax shortfall. He stated that the citizens he had spoken with wanted to know where their tax dollars went, and if they were to be taxed more, what services would benefit from such increased spending.
Assemblyman Sherer wondered if it would be quicker for the DMV to scan documents rather than to microfilm them.
Ms. Mathiesen said it would be and the DMV had requested budget funding for new microfilm cameras that would allow documentation to be digitized. She explained that with digitization, the documentation could be organized and used in various ways.
Senator Hardy wondered if money was being spent to advertise the services provided through the DMV’s Web site. He said that during the past weekend he had renewed his wife’s automobile registration in 35 seconds using that site. He thought that instead of increasing DMV’s staffing, perhaps the DMV should be promoting the use its Web site.
Chairwoman Chowning said that even if 169 requested technicians were available today, it would take about two months to train them, as technicians were required be to proficient in variety of service areas.
Ms. Lewis said that the request for additional staff was based on “a phased-in approach.” She explained that it would be impossible to train 169 people at the same time. She stated that the Carey office would be the first to train new employees, and the second would be the Sahara office. She said it would take 1.5 years to train and phase in 169 new employees.
Assemblyman Gustavson stated that he believed there was a bill draft request (BDR) that would allow citizens to register their vehicles every two years. He wondered how much money the DMV would save if that proposal were initiated.
Ms. Lewis said this would be the second legislative session for introduction of that proposal. She mentioned that the DMV did not have data reflecting what the benefits might be, but rather the DMV was interested in providing all alternatives for the citizens. She stated that she did not know who would use that option. She opined that people with higher registration fees probably would not elect to use this alternative, but those who had a relatively low registration fee might decide to register their vehicles every two years to avoid going through the registration process every year. She opined that all the DMV could do was try to put every option before the public, evaluate them, and monitor wait times. No one solution would fix the problem.
Assemblyman Collins said that he encouraged his colleagues to use the Carson City office, as he could conduct his business much faster at that location. He stated that his last two visits to the Carey Avenue office took less than 40 minutes. He drew an analogy between using the Internet for DMV transactions and using mass transit instead of driving on highways, saying traffic on the roads or transactions at the DMV field offices would not increase as fast as they would otherwise, if people used the alternatives. He also wondered if there had been an increase in mail-in activity as opposed to walk-in transactions at field offices.
Ms. Lewis pointed out that when the Internet transactions first began, customers were asked to inform the DMV whether they had previously completed their DMV transactions at field offices or by mail during the prior year. She said of those responding, about 50 percent had visited DMV field offices, and approximately 50 percent had used the mail for their transactions. She stated that currently, about 15 percent of the DMV’s customers were using the Internet. She lauded that as an outstanding number. She said after customers had initially used the Internet, they continued to use it. She explained that the DMV had determined that many people were not aware of the Internet option. She stated that the DMV had taken steps to broadcast the availability of the Internet through public education campaigns, information included with renewal notices, and with posters, radio, and television. Getting customers to the Web was the challenge.
Assemblyman Manendo noted his trip to the DMV had been a fact-finding tour of the DMV. He said the purpose of that tour was educational and not of a critical nature. He stated that many of his constituents did not have access to a computer, and they found it necessary to transact their business at the DMV field offices. He explained that he had wanted to experience what those people did when they were at the DMV.
Senator Hardy stated that people could use computers at libraries and the mail-in option provided by the DMV. He opined that if the average waiting time became too long, those alternatives might become more attractive. He said it made sense fiscally that alternative services were available.
Ms. Mathiesen pointed out that the microfilm cameras used by the DMV were more than 10 years old, and they were becoming more difficult to repair. Since FY2001, the microfilm cameras had been inoperable for 1,994 hours, and the DMV had been unable to microfilm an additional 3.2 million documents, accounting for some of the backlog in that section.
Ms. Mathiesen talked about the DMV’s Central Services’ insurance verification program. In FY2001, this program was revised to improve the matching criteria between insurance documentation and vehicle registration records. Since that time, DMV had maintained a closer working relationship with the insurance companies. The success of the program was determined by the number of valid suspensions the DMV issued to those not having appropriate insurance for their vehicles. She said that since FY2001, the number of reinstatements for insurance suspensions had increased by 138 percent. She explained that if a suspension was not found to be valid, the incident was resolved and no reinstatement became necessary. Thus, based on that data, the DMV viewed the program enhancements as successful.
Ms. Mathiesen said that from FY2001 to FY2002, there was an increase of 127 percent in revenue collected through the DMV’s Central Services’ insurance verification process. She stated that this revenue was based on reinstatement fees.
She noted that earlier in the year the insurance verification program got a lot of press. That was not associated with the basic insurance program, which continued to operate effectively. The issues associated with the temporary disturbance had been resolved and a summary of what occurred was included in Exhibit C.
Ms. Mathiesen then discussed the role of the title section of the Central Services and Records Division. She said this section handled all requests for titles for vehicles received through the mail. She explained that the 20 employees of the section issued approximately 52 percent of all of the titles provided by the DMV. She stated that the field offices processed the remaining 48 percent of titles. She noted the title turnaround time had been an issue in the 2001 Legislative Session. She added there had been a slight increase in the turnaround time in fiscal year 2002, because overtime was cut in half in that section, and 300 hours of Kelly temp services were lost. During FY2003 to date, that section had completed the title request process in an average of 16 days, which was excellent, she stated.
Ms. Mathiesen talked about Central Services’ centralized telephone center, which was established in FY2000. Since that time, there had been a 26 percent increase in the number of calls received by the center and 125 percent increase in the number of abandoned calls. DMV viewed the increase in calls abandoned in a positive way because the manager of the center routinely identified the most common reasons for calls to the center. The taped message was modified from time to time to incorporate this information so that it was relayed to callers while they were on hold. As a result, the DMV believed its customers received the information they needed prior to speaking with a DMV technician, which resulted in the increase in abandoned calls.
Ms. Mathiesen discussed the registration Renewal by Mail Section of Central Services. She said from FY2000 through FY2002, the number of registration renewals processed by mail had decreased. Ms. Mathiesen explained this resulted from a greater use of the DMV’s Web site. The turnaround time decreased to 2.5 days in FY 2001 and it increased in FY2002 to a 6-day turnaround. In 2002 they started mailing license plates for the re-issue project to customers. As a result, the DMV received many calls and questions needing research resolution on the computer, which took the section staff away from their routine processing of renewals.
Ms. Mathiesen next talked about the role of the Sales and Certification Section of Central Services and Records. She pointed out that since FY2000, there had been an increase of $1 million in revenue collected by this section, although fees had not been increased over the same time period.
Ms. Mathiesen explained that during FY2000, the DMV gave its customers the option of handling their vehicle registration and driver’s license renewals over the Internet. Since that time, the DMV had implemented late vehicle registration renewals, driving record histories over the Internet, registration cost estimates, on-line sample driving tests, and maps to the DMV offices over the Internet.
Ms. Mathiesen noted the number of registration renewals processed by emission stations, the Internet, and the DMV telephone system.
Over 400,000 transactions had been handled through the DMV’s Web site since FY2000. During FY2000, the DMV’s Web site facilitated 2 percent of the renewal transactions handled by the DMV, and so far during FY2003, 14 percent of renewal transactions had been processed through the DMV’s Web site. She explained that research had been conducted before beginning Internet services by contacting other states, most of whom indicated the DMV could expect a 2 percent usage after 4 years of implementation. The current 14 percent usage was a real success based upon that criteria.
Ms. Mathiesen gave a brief overview of the revenues distributed to the special plate funds for FY1998 through FY2002 and the number of plates styles that were currently active. She noted there were currently 95 different plates produced by the Department.
Chairwoman Chowning asked if her presumption that more than $3 million had been raised for various causes through special license plate fees between FY1998 and FY2002 was correct. Ms. Mathiesen agreed. Chairwoman Chowning felt that was phenomenal and Ms. Mathiesen concurred.
Ms. Mathiesen then discussed certain legislation affecting the DMV that had been implemented since the last Legislative Session. She added that not all of the information she would provide could be found in Exhibit C. She said because of legislation passed in 1997, 1999, and 2001, the reissue project replaced all Big Horn license plates by Sunset license plates by the end of 2002. Since the beginning of 2003, the DMV had received very few complaints regarding this license plate transfer. She also discussed the use of digital photographs on driver’s licenses. She alerted Committee members to the brochure included in Exhibit C that provided information and a picture of the new digitized licenses. By May of 2002, all 21 DMV offices were equipped and using the new digital licensing system. She listed the benefits of the new license process. (1) It provided more security features. (2) It made licenses more difficult to counterfeit. (3) It provided more durability. (4) It offered easy photograph and signature image retrieval for use by the DMV, law enforcement authorities, and various state licensing agencies. (5) It provided a distinctive vertical license format for those who were less than 21 years of age. She noted by the end of January of 2003, 29 percent of driver’s licenses and 16 percent of identification cards had been replaced with digital licenses.
She said that a registry for anatomical donations had been created, which would be administered by the DMV. She noted the “Gift of Life” brochures and applications were made available in all the field offices, and copies had been provided in Exhibit C. Messages had been posted on the reader boards regarding the program and drop boxes had been placed in all the metropolitan offices. Data regarding organ donors was currently being transmitted to the Living Bank.
Ms. Mathiesen said that in 1999, legislation was passed that made the DMV responsible for the collection of motor fuel taxes, instead of the Department of Taxation. She added the two charts in Exhibit C showed a fiscal year comparison and an 11-month comparison. The Compliance and Enforcement Division of the DMV assumed this role. The collection activities were fully implemented as of January 1, 2002. Currently the collections were completed on time and resulted in higher revenue collections.
Ms. Mathiesen pointed out that ten new license plates were approved by the Legislature in 2001. Prior to the 2001 Legislative Session, 250 letters of intent were required before the DMV would begin production of a new special license plate. In 2001, the law was changed requiring 1,000 letters of intent before a new special license plate would be issued by the DMV. She pointed out that DMV documentation indicated that the number of letters of intent did not always reflect the number of license plates that would be purchased by the public, sometimes exceeding and other times not quite reaching the required number.
Chairwoman Chowning asked for confirmation that only 250 letters of intent were required before the V&T Railroad special license plates were to be granted. Ms. Mathiesen said this was the case. She noted for that special license plate 318 letters of intent were received and yet only 172 sets were sold. She asked if the DMV produced the plate under those conditions or whether they waited until there were 250 purchased. Ms. Mathiesen responded that once 250 letters of intent were received, the license plate was put into production. Then the license plates were distributed to the field offices to be sold over the counter. The tag plant also distributed plates through the mail.
Chairwoman Chowning asked if there were still sufficient money in the special plate fund to make the difference whereby the DMV would not take a loss. Ms. Mathiesen explained the DMV used money from the revolving fund to produce the plates. If less than 250 license plates were sold, they did not always recoup the cost to produce them, but the fund was regenerated by the sale of the total special plates.
Chairwoman Chowning noted the Las Vegas commemorative plate was nearly 200 percent over in sales, thus would make up for the ones that were under, and Ms. Mathiesen agreed.
Assemblyman Gustavson wondered if only 172 of the V&T Railroad license plates had been sold, why had revenue in the amount of $4,800 been generated. He said he had calculated that if the 172 plates had been sold for $35 each, the revenue received by the DMV would be about half of the $4,800.
Ms. Mathiesen explained that the DMV usually produced about 3,000 license plates whenever enough letters of intent for a new special license plate had been received by the DMV to begin a new issue and were distributed to the field offices. She asked for clarification on the question.
Assemblyman Gustavson said that he was looking at a chart titled Special Plate Funds – Revenue By Fiscal Year (Exhibit C). He said that chart indicated the DMV had received $4,845 in revenues for the V&T Railroad license plate, and he asked that Ms. Mathiesen confirm this information.
Ms. Mathiesen said the number was correct.
Mr. Gustavson asked if the $4,845 included the $35 initial fee or the $61 initial fee. Ms. Mathiesen explained that $35 of the initial fee for special license plates was credited to the revolving account for the special license plate fund, which was used to process new special license plates.
Mr. Gustavson said that he was trying to do the calculation and the numbers did not seem to make sense. He said that by using $35, he came up with a total of about $2500. Ms. Mathiesen then stated that perhaps she and Mr. Gustavson were talking about money going to the fee fund and not the revolving account. She said the $4,845 was money going to the V&T Railroad Association, and not money going to the DMV’s revolving account.
Ms. Mathiesen talked about various informational items. She said that there were 12 licensed Internet DUI and traffic safety schools that provided educational courses through the Internet. Since the enabling legislation of 2001, the DMV had issued 88 patient cards and 12 caregiver cards authorizing the medical use of marijuana. She noted the 1999 Legislative Session authorized expedited service permits that were issued to customers with walking disabilities so they would not have to stand in line for state services. The DMV was unable to issue the cards until the implementation of the digitized driver’s license in May 2002 and since that date had issued 61 of those cards. The 2001 session also established the authority for the DMV to deny services for debts owed to the state. She noted the Department received about 5,000 “bad checks” annually and obtained restitution on approximately 50 percent of those. The remaining was submitted to the collections unit of the Office of the State Controller.
Some enhancements to DMV were instituted which were not driven by new legislation. The DMV had added a customer comment area to its Web site. Ms. Mathiesen said that generally the comments had been positive. She explained that these comments were provided daily to the DMV staff, who reviewed every comment and respond to all questions and concerns.
She commented about the establishment of an e-mail address in June 2001 so that customers could contact the DMV for information or assistance. The DMV received 510 e-mails during FY2001 and 13,510 e-mails in FY2002.
Ms. Mathiesen explained some of the other material included in Exhibit C such as a bright orange flyer included with every registration renewal notice and the envelope used to mail renewal notices that advertised the Internet. Posters were placed in DMV and other offices that provided Internet service notices to the public. Pagemaker programming had been instituted that allowed changes to be made to the Web site nearly as soon as changes were implemented.
Ms. Mathiesen stated that over 10,000 handbooks and forms were downloaded from the DMV’s Web site each month.
Chairwoman Chowning noted some of the comments received by staff through the e-mail, and Ms. Mathiesen replied that some of them were pretty interesting.
The DMV had placed 77 automatic testing units in 10 of the field offices. These units allowed for faster testing and provided immediate feedback to customers about the correctness of their replies. Each test pulled from a data source of 150 questions making each test unique at every testing station. She noted the automated test should be available in Spanish by April 2003.
Ms. Mathiesen explained the “877” phone calls from Las Vegas to Carson City on the toll-free line were blocked and rerouted through two T1 lines. That treated the calls from Las Vegas like local calls, with no charge to the calling party. The average monthly cost before making that change was $48,000 and was reduced to $7,000 monthly, which was an anticipated cost savings of $445,000 in FY2003.
The DMV also contracted with United States Certified Letters (USCL), which partnered with the U.S. Postal Service and passed their savings on to the customers. The DMV sent electronic transmissions of print files to the USCL, who sent the letters out by mail within 48 hours of receipt, and they provided DMV with a software program for tracking of all certified mail sent and for retrieving certified mail receipts online. In the first six months of FY2003, the Department saved $131,000 in postage costs and anticipated a savings of $263,000 by the end of FY2003.
Ms. Mathiesen next presented the DMV’s challenges for the next biennium. A major challenge had always been providing services to a rapidly growing population with limited resources. She noted there were 1.4 million licensed drivers in Nevada, 2.2 million registered vehicles, and 357,000 identification card holders. Between the field and central services units there were 459 employees who were responsible for transacting all of that business for residents.
She said the DMV needed to find ways to increase the use of new technologies to provide more services over the Internet.
She discussed the need for the DMV to aggressively publicize the DMV’s development of new processes and to educate the public of the most efficient ways of doing business with the Department.
Ms. Mathiesen noted it was very important to maintain a workforce of trained and knowledgeable employees. There were currently three employees in the Management Services Division responsible for development and conduct of training to DMV staff statewide. She stated that it was essential that the DMV provide constant training to its employees, and that 35,000 hours of training were provided to DMV staff members in 2002.
She mentioned that the DMV was concerned with maintaining the security and integrity of its records. She pointed out that the DMV was working to reduce internal and external fraud through training and detection programs. Ms. Mathiesen noted identification fraud was one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Exhibit C included a report from the Compliance and Enforcement Division identifying the results of their efforts. Out of 68 cases of suspected fraud, 66 documents were verified as being fraudulent. Fourteen cases were currently under investigation; 7 had been submitted to the district attorney’s office for prosecution, and 16 arrests had been made. She explained some of the additional evidence found in investigation of these crimes. She noted, based on what had been found in the pilot project in the Reno office only over a 1-year period, they felt a much larger problem existed statewide.
To address these challenges, the DMV had requested additional staffing in its budget for the following: field services, an internal fraud unit, training, public information campaign, new microfilm cameras, and digitized record equipment.
A summary of bill drafts submitted by the Department for the 2003 Legislative Session was included at the end of Exhibit C.
Senator Nolan said he had introduced a bill last session that would allow the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) to actively seek out those who were not registering their vehicles in the state. He explained that the DMV had been requested to provide an estimate of revenue lost annually; the number came back between an estimated $9 million to $12 million. He stated that the measure was not passed, and that a similar bill would likely be introduced through the Senate during this session. He asked what the DMV had done since 2001 to address the issue.
Ms. Lewis stated that Senator Nolan had made reference to the NHP’s enforcement of the law. She explained that the DMV could not enforce the existing law. She said that the members of the public were required to register their vehicles at the DMV within 30 days after moving to the state. She talked about the bill in the Assembly that would require new residents of the state to register all of their vehicles at the time they applied for their driver’s license.
Senator Nolan said that in view of the budget shortfalls, it seemed that this was an issue that deserved attention. While he recognized that the DMV did not have an enforcement responsibility in this area, he pointed out that the DMV was a recipient of the revenues for the registration of vehicles.
Mrs. Chowning asked Ms. Lewis to talk about the new DMV kiosks.
Ms. Lewis said the objective of the kiosks was to better serve the needs of the DMV’s customers at field offices. She pointed out there were many people in Las Vegas who preferred to use cash. The goal was for use of the kiosks in those situations when a customer had a simple transaction. In such instances, customers would be directed to use the kiosks. The initiative would be piloted in the Carey office, as the DMV believed this is the office that would benefit most from the kiosks.
Ms. Lewis then explained the kiosk would be operated using a touch screen that would require certain information, including an access number for registration renewals. The access number could be entered by touching the key pad or the customers could enter their license plate number, or the last four digits of the vehicle identification number (VIN). She went through the registration process and also pointed out that the kiosks accepted cash, credit cards, and debit cards, and when the transaction process was completed, the customers would receive a decal and registration renewal for their vehicle. A brief service questionnaire then appeared for the customer to complete. Ms. Lewis stated that the DMV hoped to have the pilot kiosk at the Carey office in service in three months.
Senator Hardy said this was a good initiative. He suggested that somewhere during the transaction, information should be made available that the process was also available at the DMV’s Web site.
Chairwoman Chowning said that customers who registered their vehicles through the DMV’s Web site had to wait a few days to receive their decals and updated registration information, but with the kiosk concept they would walk away with their registration and decal.
Ms. Lewis stated that many people waited until the last day to renew their vehicle registrations, and it was essential that they had their decal and updated registration before they left the DMV office.
Chairwoman Chowning asked the Airport Authority of Washoe County to make their presentation.
Krys Bart, Executive Director, Airport Authority of Washoe County (AAWC), introduced herself. She invited the DMV to consider placing one of their kiosks in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. She said it was a pleasure to come before the Committee and that she would be giving an overview of the AAWC. She pointed out that she had arranged for the Committee members to receive a copy of her handout titled “Airport Authority of Washoe County” (Exhibit D). She explained that the AAWC was a quasi-municipal body and not operated or managed by any of the public bodies in Washoe County.
Ms. Bart said the Reno Airport was operated like a small city, and it was not supported with local tax funds. The funding of the Reno airport was generated through landing fees, concession fees, and the like. The Reno airport’s operating budget for this year was about $24 million and the capital budget for 2003 was approximately $46 million. She stated that the federal government funded a portion of the capital budget as a user-paid system that came from ticket taxes in the aviation system, and she noted the total operating budget was approximately $70 million.
Ms. Bart explained that a nine-person governing board provided oversight of the AAWC. She said the City of Reno appointed four members, the City of Sparks appointed two members, Washoe County appointed two members, and the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau appointed one member since the last legislative session.
Ms. Bart said that about 13,000 passengers used the Reno/Tahoe International Airport each day, and on each day, approximately 300,000 pounds of cargo were handled through the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. Approximately 400 takeoffs and landings occurred each day on three runways. She itemized the following facts about the Reno/Tahoe International Airport:
(1) It had 3 runways.
(2) It was the home base of the Nevada Air National Guard.
(3) It had 23 passenger gates.
(4) It had 1,450 acres of property.
(5) It had a 24-hour air traffic control tower.
(6) It generated about $3.2 million to the Reno area economy.
A new air traffic control tower was being built due to the efforts of Senator Harry Reid and Congressman Gibbons. Through their capital projects and grants and the U.S. delegation the Reno/Tahoe International Airport received approximately $26 million in additional capital.
Ms. Bart provided photographs of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport showing the three runways.
Ms. Bart pointed out that AAWC also managed and operated the Reno Stead Airport, which was home to the National Championship Air Races and had an area of about 5,000 acres. In addition to general aviation activities at the Reno Stead Airport, the BLM had a regional air tanker base for firefighting. She pointed out that the Senator Reid Training Center was based at the Reno Stead Airport, and several Army Air Guard units trained at that location. She noted among the aircraft were many helicopters. With the current military crisis, there was heightened military activity at both airports.
Ms. Bart said that during 2002 the Reno/Tahoe International Airport had 4.5 million passengers, which was 8.6 percent decrease from 2001; however, in December 2002, there was a 10 percent increase in passengers for that month. The load factor, or the number of seats occupied, was 72 percent, which compared well with the national average of 70 percent. Total cargo handled was 106,377,207 pounds, which was a 5.8 percent increase over 2001.
Ms. Bart stated that 10 scheduled airlines served the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. She said there was no other similar-sized community in the United States that had the same level of air service as Reno. She explained that Southwest Airlines carried 52 percent of the passengers flying into and out of the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. She said Reno’s top air passenger market was Las Vegas, and she stated that Reno’s market area extended into the Sacramento and Susanville, California areas. The airport served not only Washoe County, but Carson City, Douglas County, and Lyon County as well. Ms. Bart mentioned that passenger airlines currently flew non-stop to 16 cities and had one-stop same-plane service to 20 additional cities from the Reno/Tahoe International Airport.
Ms. Bart explained that the Reno/Tahoe International Airport experienced some economic downturn after September 11, 2001, as did most airports across the country. The Reno/Tahoe International Airport had lost about $4 million from the September 11 attack, due to decreased revenue and increased costs for security.
Ms. Bart said that the Reno/Tahoe International Airport was encountering some minor inconveniences resulting from the operations of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). She stated that about 30 percent of the already scarce ticketing lobby was being used by the TSA for its screening equipment and personnel.
Ms. Bart stressed the Reno/Tahoe Airport considered itself the “poster child” of customer service and public education. A temporary workforce had been hired to assist passengers in getting through the lines. They had conducted an extensive media campaign detailing the additional time necessary to meet the new security requirements and to process through ticketing.
Ms. Bart pointed out that 2003 was a significant year for the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. She explained that 2003 was the 75th anniversary of the founding of Reno/Tahoe International Airport. The Reno/Tahoe International Airport was created in 1928, when Boeing Air Transport dedicated the airport as Hubbard Field. She said that it had been 25 years since the AAWC was created by the Legislature. In 1953, with Senator Bill Raggio leading the way, the airport was taken away from the City of Reno and became incorporated into the AAWC. In 1960, the airport was the focus of the Squaw Valley Olympics, and Ms. Bart explained there was currently a committee in the Reno area working to bring the 2014 Winter Olympics to northern Nevada.
Ms. Bart then discussed Reno/Tahoe International Airport’s new Web site, and she encouraged everyone to use it. The Web address was renoairport.com. She noted it had security information, connections to all of the airlines and directly to her with any complaints or questions.
Chairwoman Chowning thanked Ms. Bart for her presentation. She commented the kiosk concept used there had been very popular. She asked Ms. Bart if there were any items of legislation initiated by AAWC coming before the Transportation Committee.
Ms. Bart said that at this time AAWC was not sponsoring any proposed legislation, although they would monitor legislation closely. Ms. Bart pointed out that the Committee members were welcome to use the protocol room in the Reno/Tahoe International Airport’s administration area for meetings while waiting for their flights. Reservations for the room could be made through Ms. Bart.
Senator Carlton complimented Ms. Bart on the ease in which she and her friends had been able to move through the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. Senator Carlton said she had noticed that during bad weather, the top level of the parking garage appeared to have problems with ice and related issues. She asked what AAWC’s procedures were for handling those situations, and if she was aware of damage to an automobile in the parking garage in which the cost to make repairs to the automobile was less than that person’s insurance deductible.
Ms. Bart stated she had not heard about this kind of complaint before. She said there were procedures in place covering the removal of ice and snow from all areas of the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. She explained that airport personnel put chemicals down on the top floor of the parking garage to keep ice from forming. She said that during very inclement weather, the airfield would first be attended to, and subsequently, the parking garage received attention. She stated, however, that she would review this information and the airport’s processes. She also said that she would be glad to work with the party whose automobile had been damaged and that the Web site would be the easiest way to contact her.
Chairwoman Chowning said she was also concerned with this issue. She explained that she was aware that people could slip and fall and that it was difficult for drivers to negotiate their vehicles.
Senator Care acknowledged Nevada’s tourist status and asked if Ms. Bart could provide information as to why certain passengers were screened, while others were not. He mentioned his shoes always seemed to set off the alarms and yet he was told, “Just take them off.”
Ms. Bart stated that the TSA had full responsibility for all airport security. She noted procedures differed somewhat from airport to airport. She explained that at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, passengers were randomly selected. At the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, 80 percent of the passengers at the ticket counter had their checked luggage swiped with an electronic detection system, and 20 percent of that 80 percent of the luggage was scanned by the electronic trace system, which were large machines. She mentioned the security staff at the checkpoints carefully observed everything that went through that area. If any alarms were triggered, the security staff then performed a very thorough search, and this would apply to anyone.
Ms. Bart explained many shoes, including some tennis shoes, had metal shanks in them and at Reno they found if passengers waited until they actually got to the screening point or x-ray to take off their shoes, it delayed the line. Thus, the current policy in Reno to encourage people to take their shoes off ahead of time just to keep the line moving. That decision had been made by the TSA.
Senator Schneider commented the shoes he was currently wearing set off the machines in Reno, but they did not in Las Vegas, and he asked why footwear of all types sets off the alarms at the Reno/Tahoe International Airport.
Ms. Bart said she would discuss Senator Schneider’s concern with the TSA. She commented she and Mr. Walker worked very closely together.
Randall H. Walker, Department of Aviation, Clark County, said that McCarran International Airport (MIA) was owned and operated by Clark County. Unlike other county entities, MIA was an enterprise fund of the county, which meant all of their expenditures had to be paid out of the revenues generated within that fund. They used no local tax dollars.
Mr. Walker stated that MIA also managed five other airports: North Las Vegas, Henderson, Jean Sport Aviation Center, Overton, and Searchlight. Mr. Walker pointed out that about 1,000 county employees reporting to Mr. Walker worked at MIA; MIA’s annual operating budget was about $130 million; MIA’s total annual revenues were almost $300 million; and MIA’s current capital program budget was about $500 million for projects that were either about to go out to bid or in the final stage of design.
Mr. Walker then gave an overview of what had occurred before September 11, 2001, what happened after September 11, and MIA’s plans for the future.
Mr. Walker said that until September 11, 2001, MIA had had a decade of great growth, and MIA’s challenge had been to manage that growth. MIA grew 76 percent during the decade of the 1990s, and it had been the fastest growing large airport in the world. During the 1990s, more than $1 billion of capital improvements were made at MIA. Subsequent to this, MIA developed its Vision 2020, which addressed the building-out of MIA to its capacity of about 55 million passengers annually, and the possible development of a second airport in the Las Vegas area to accommodate overflow traffic. During this time, new airlines and expansion of the operations of existing airlines had been a constant at MIA.
He explained to the Committee members that each had been furnished a handout titled “McCarran International Airport” (Exhibit E). He commented for the first time in aviation history, all aviation had been shut down for about three days and showed a graphic in Exhibit E that was placed on MIA reader boards on September 11, 2001.
Mr. Walker said that since September 11, 2001, MIA experienced a significant decline in business. The airlines drastically curtailed service, and security and customer service became significant issues. Mr. Walker said that a recent J. D. Powers Survey on airports rated MIA the best in the United States for customer service, and number two in the world, only behind the airport in Hong Kong for customer service. Mr. Walker explained another effect of September 11 was that MIA’s major capital improvements were placed on hold, and they were re-evaluating those projects as time moved forward.
Mr. Walker stated that in 2000, MIA handled 36.8 million passengers, which was the highest number of passengers for any year and an increase of 9.3 percent from the previous year. In 2001, MIA handled 35.2 million passengers, a decrease of 4.5 percent; and in 2002, that volume decreased by 0.5 percent. He said that passenger volume for January 2003 was up about 12.5 percent over January 2002. He noted if they compared with 2000, January 2003 was actually up a percent or two and was a very good month.
He said that security had become a vital concern and that MIA officials were spending a great deal of time working with representatives of the TSA. He explained that one of the major security outcomes was that all checked bags were now screened using electronic devices before they were placed on airplanes. In November 2002 baggage-screening employees were all transferred to federal employment. By December 6, 2002, all employees at McCarran International Airport, which employed over 12,000 people, were to have required background checks and badges.
He said that MIA had expanded the number and capacity of checkpoints, adding 10 lanes, which was a 64 percent increase. He pointed out that alarm systems had been improved and parts of MIA had been compartmentalized with security containment doors. This allowed parts of MIA to be searched rather than all of MIA, when a perceived breach of security had occurred. Queuing systems had been reworked many times. He stated there were now three teams that used bomb-sniffing dogs when necessary. Mr. Walker indicated that MIA had developed an “In-Line Baggage Screening” system, which had been approved by the TSA. When this system was built, people would be able to check in their luggage, as they had prior to September 11, 2001. This would enable MIA to handle baggage much more efficiently than currently was the case. The project cost would be approximately $100 million.
Senator Nolan wanted to know if there had been any significant breaches of the new security procedures at MIA and if so, what types of breaches were being seen the most.
Mr. Walker said there had not been any serious violations. He pointed out breaches usually occurred when people had not paid attention to their surroundings or to what they had packed in their bags. A recent example concerned a passenger returning from a concrete convention who had taken some “free samples” of blasting caps in his luggage and that had shut down a 50-foot radius around that machine for approximately two hours until bomb squad and others checked it all out. Although this was not a huge breach, it was still a non-permitted item in baggage that had to be dealt with appropriately.
Mr. Walker commented the “hassle factor” had certainly had an impact on the “short haul” flights. Lines had to be still more manageable, even though MIA was constantly working on that issue.
Mr. Walker stated that air service to and from MIA during the last few months had rebounded dramatically. He explained that most of the airlines had returned to their previous schedules, destinations were being added, and new airlines had started up operations. He mentioned that Singapore Airlines was operating non-stop from Hong Kong, JetBlue was operating from Long Beach and JFK Airport in New York, Spirit Airlines had started up service to and from Las Vegas, and American Airlines had added flights from Miami and Boston. He commented, comparing February 2003 with February 2001, seat capacity was down approximately 2.5 percent, but that was actually a good number.
Mr. Walker next talked about the establishment of check-in kiosks that could be used to obtain boarding passes for those traveling without check-in baggage on all the airlines that operated at MIA. He said there were also plans for placement of kiosks in the Las Vegas Convention Center and at hotels in the Las Vegas area, through partnering with the Clark County Convention Authority and the TSA. He commented that individual airlines were implementing proprietary kiosks, but MIA was implementing an airport-wide system. McCarran International Airport currently had 28 different carriers and several other charter carriers. The airport worked with International Air Transit Association (IATA) developing standards for common use kiosks. Approximately $3 million was being spent to implement the project.
Mr. Walker said MIA had let bids for the construction of 10 additional gates at the northeast wing of Satellite D, and this was a $120 million project. Construction should begin about May 2003. He said MIA was in the process of finalizing plans for a consolidated vehicle rental facility, which would be located south of Interstate 215, adjacent to Gillespie Road, and located on a 65-acre parcel of property owned by MIA. He said the cost for this facility would be about $125 million. It was expected to go to bid in the summer of 2003. At Terminal 3, they were working on getting “long-lead” items out and relocating some roads and utilities in the area with construction beginning at the start of 2004.
Mr. Walker discussed the Department of Aviation’s plans to construct a new airport at Ivanpah, and which would be located between Jean and Primm on the east side of Interstate 15 on the dry lakebed. He said that the federal government had approved the airspace plan for that airport, and that the Department of Aviation hoped to purchase the property from the BLM this year. At that point, the Department of Aviation planned to start the environmental study process. He stated that currently the Department of Aviation was looking at opening the airport in 2014, provided there would be a need for a second passenger-revenue airport.
Senator Hardy asked if JetBlue had any plans to operate to and from the Reno/Tahoe International Airport.
Mr. Walker said that he unaware of any plans for JetBlue to start up operations in Reno. He added they did plan to increase their service to JFK Airport in New York City.
Senator Amodei said that he had heard that post-September 11, MIA handled more than 50 percent of the tourists who came to the Las Vegas area, and he wondered if this was true.
Mr. Walker stated pre-September 11, MIA handled about 49 percent of all tourists to Las Vegas. The latest information he had seen indicated that currently about 46 percent of tourists who came to Las Vegas had flown to MIA, but more people were driving on Interstate 15 to visit the Las Vegas area.
Senator Care wanted to know the ownership of the land that was to be purchased for the proposed airport at Ivanpah. He commented most land in the area was federally-owned and asked if the purchase was being negotiated through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Mr. Walker replied that all of the land to be purchased was federal land and that this land was not located in the disposition area of BLM. The Department of Aviation had Nevada’s congressional delegation assist in the passage of a bill through Congress, which directed BLM to sell the property to the Department at appraised value once an airspace plan was done and it could be demonstrated that it could be used appropriately for an airport without negative impacts to the desert Mohave Preserve in California or without having an impact on the ability to operate the airport at Jean. They would buy approximately 6,500 acres from BLM once the appraisal was done.
Senator Schneider asked what kinds of flights would be operated in and out of the proposed airport.
Mr. Walker said that the maximum capacity of the airport would be about 30 million to 35 million passengers annually, which would likely require more than one carrier. Mr. Walker explained it was thought that the initial flights would consist of charter business. He said charter flights would be long-haul flights consisting of a single group of people. Mr. Walker opined that 5 million passengers annually would initially use the airport, and in view of this, some flights would be diverted from MIA. He explained that it was logical for the long flights to use the airport, rather than shorter flights from airports in the Los Angeles area. He explained they would try to match the customers to the type of airport they needed.
Senator Schneider asked if there were plans to operate high-speed trains to and from the new airport to Las Vegas, rather than to have more vehicles travel on the Interstate 15 corridor.
Mr. Walker responded that the Department of Aviation was reviewing all modes of transportation. He stated that there was room in the Interstate 15 corridor to accommodate the operation of a light-rail system. They anticipated some lanes would have to be added on the outbound highway from Las Vegas to the airport. At startup there would not be enough traffic to justify a light-rail system, but it was certainly a consideration closer to build-out.
Assemblyman Atkinson asked about the installation of additional meters near the elevators of the Gold Garage at MIA. He was wondering if additional meters would be installed on all floors and whether there had been a reason for this trend.
Mr. Walker said that prior to September 11, short-term parking was located in the Silver Garage at MIA, and long-term parking was situated in the Gold Garage. Because of September 11, vehicles that were unknown or that had not been searched were not permitted to be parked within 300 feet of the terminal building of MIA. As the Silver Garage was within the 300-foot radius, all the customer parking for that garage, including short-term parking had been relocated to the Gold Garage. He opined he did not envision any further short-term parking except to facilitate growth. That would likely mean building a remote parking facility with shuttle service, due to space.
Chairwoman Chowning asked Mr. Walker if the Department of Aviation planned to introduce any BDRs this session, and Mr. Walker stated that his organization had no plans to do so.
Chairwoman Chowning complimented both of the airport authorities on successfully meeting the challenges over the past couple of years.
Chairwoman Chowning then acknowledged the presence of Bruce MacRae, Public Affairs Manager, United Parcel Service (UPS). Chairwoman Chowning explained he was from Laguna Beach, California, and was a regional manager. She stated that UPS handled substantial air cargo business through the airports in Las Vegas and Reno.
Daryl Capurro, Managing Director, Nevada Motor Transport Association, Inc. (NMTA), briefly discussed the videotape titled “Why risk it?” (Exhibit F) that NMTA was going to present to the Committee. He then said that Lt. Jim Peterson, Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP), who was the commercial coordinator for the NHP and who would be hosting a program that demonstrated how the general public and the drivers of large trucks could safely share roadways. According to Mr. Capurro, the objective of the program was to make the general public aware of the various blind spots that the driver of a commercial truck had, and what the drivers of smaller vehicles could do to help reduce the possibilities of accidents. Mr. Capurro explained that parked in front of the Legislative Building was a restored cargo truck, which was used for demonstrating to students attending driver’s training classes, a commercial trucker’s blind spots. He mentioned the restoration project had been very expensive.
Mr. Capurro acknowledged his assistant, Ray Roach, who had worked diligently on the cargo truck restoration and demonstration project.
Lt. Peterson explained that the state had a partnership with the federal government to provide information and education to the public pertaining to the operation of commercial trucks. He said that a main objective of the Department of Public Safety was transportation safety.
He stated that after September 11, the road traffic on Nevada Interstates had increased, which included more traffic driving alongside commercial vehicles. He mentioned that there had been a campaign of billboard advertisements that emphasized safely sharing roadways between commercial trucks and other vehicles. He stated that there was a companion program of presenting this concept to students in high schools throughout the state. The presenters had been invited to high school driver education classes. He acknowledged the Motor Transport Association and its staff who drove the truck to the various schools and conducted the demonstrations. Lt. Peterson said that 70 percent of all collisions nationally between commercial trucks and other vehicles indicated that the drivers of the other vehicles were at fault. He pointed out that basic reason for this statistic was that the drivers of other vehicles were driving in the blind spots of commercial trucks.
Lt. Peterson then asked that the videotape (Exhibit F) be shown to the Committee. The videotape presented the theme of all various types of vehicles safely sharing roadways. The videotape discussed in detail blind spots and the “no-zone,” and the need for the drivers of smaller vehicles to stay out of the “no-zone.” It explained the “no-zones” were areas around trucks and buses where crashes were more likely to occur. It stressed almost 200,000 such accidents occurred every year.
At 60 miles per hour, a fully loaded 80,000 pound truck driving in good road conditions took over 340 feet to come to a stop. One of the most common “no-zone” situations was a car cutting in on a commercial vehicle when the commercial vehicle was trying to make a right-hand turn. The video noted in an accident involving a truck versus a car, the occupants of the car were 32 times more likely to be killed in the collision. A good rule of thumb was that if a driver could not see the mirrors on the commercial vehicle, the commercial driver could probably not see them either.
Lt. Peterson explained that first the videotape was shown at the schools and time was allowed for questions and answers, and then the students were taken outside to view the demonstration cargo truck.
Mr. Capurro acknowledged that Bill Benzmiller, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Nevada, was present and had assisted in securing a grant to restore the 1953 Ford bubble-front box van.
Chairwoman Chowning thanked Lt. Peterson and the others involved for their efforts in this area.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:37 p.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
Cindy Clampitt
Transcribing Secretary
APPROVED BY:
Senator Raymond C. Shaffer
DATE:_______________________________________
Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, Chairwoman
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