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The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or just DOT) is a federal Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
 department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government concerned with transport
Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of passenger and cargo from one location to another. Transport is performed by various modes of transport, such as aviation, rail transport, road transport, ship transport, cable transport, pipeline transport and space transport....
ation. It was established by an act of Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Transportation
United States Secretary of Transportation

The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The Secretary is a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet....
.

Its mission is to "Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."

r to the Department of Transportation, the under secretary of commerce for transportation administered the functions now associated with the DOT.






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Encyclopedia


The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or just DOT) is a federal Cabinet
United States Cabinet

The United States Cabinet is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, and its existence dates back to the first United States of America President of the United States, George Washington, who appointed a Cabinet of four people to advise and assist him in his dutie...
 department of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 government concerned with transport
Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of passenger and cargo from one location to another. Transport is performed by various modes of transport, such as aviation, rail transport, road transport, ship transport, cable transport, pipeline transport and space transport....
ation. It was established by an act of Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
 on October 15, 1966 and began operation on April 1, 1967. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Transportation
United States Secretary of Transportation

The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The Secretary is a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet....
.

Its mission is to "Serve the United States by ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future."

History

Prior to the Department of Transportation, the under secretary of commerce for transportation administered the functions now associated with the DOT. In 1965, Najeeb Halaby
Najeeb Halaby

Najeeb Elias Halaby was a US businessman, government official, and the father of Queen Noor of Jordan of Jordan....
, administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency, suggested to Lyndon Baines Johnson that transportation be elevated to a cabinet-level post, and that the FAA be folded into the DOT.

Divisions

  • Federal Aviation Administration
    Federal Aviation Administration

    The Federal Aviation Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S....
     (FAA)
  • Federal Highway Administration
    Federal Highway Administration

    The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program....
     (FHWA)
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
    Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

    The FMCSA was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000, pursuant to the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999....
     (FMCSA)
  • Federal Railroad Administration
    Federal Railroad Administration

    The Federal Railroad Administration is an administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation. The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 ....
     (FRA)
  • Federal Transit Administration
    Federal Transit Administration

    The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local transit systems....
     (FTA)
  • Maritime Administration (MARAD)
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government, part of the United States Department of Transportation....
     (NHTSA)
  • Office of Climate Change and Environment
  • Office of Inspector General
    Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation

    The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Transportation is one of the Inspector General offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978....
  • Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)
  • Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
    Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

    The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration was created under the Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act of 2004....
     (PHMSA)
  • Research and Innovative Technology Administration
    Research and Innovative Technology Administration

    The Research and Innovative Technology Administration is a United States United States Department of Transportation administration created in 2005....
     (RITA)
  • Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
    Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

    The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation....
     (SLSDC)
  • Surface Transportation Board
    Surface Transportation Board

    The Surface Transportation Board of the United States was created by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995 at the same time the Interstate Commerce Commission was abolished....
     (STB)


Former divisions

  • Transportation Security Administration
    Transportation Security Administration

    The Transportation Security Administration is a Federal government of the United States List of United States federal agencies that was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President George W....
     - transferred to Department of Homeland Security
    United States Department of Homeland Security

    The United States Department of Homeland Security is a United States Cabinet United States federal executive departments of the United States federal government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the U.S....
     in 2003
  • United States Coast Guard
    United States Coast Guard

    The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the Military of the United States and one of seven Uniformed services of the United States. In addition to being a military branch at all times, it is unique among the armed forces in that it is also a Admiralty law agency and a Federal government of the United States regulatory agency....
     - transferred to Department of Homeland Security in 2003


Related legislation

  • 1806 - Cumberland Road
  • 1862 - Pacific Railway Act
  • 1887 - Interstate Commerce Act
  • 1916 - Adamson Railway Labor Act
  • 1935 - Motor Carrier Act
    Motor Carrier Act

    Motor Carrier Act may refer to* Motor Carrier Act of 1935, a United States federal law amending the Interstate Commerce Act to regulate bus lines and airlines as public utility....
  • 1946 - Federal Airport Act PL 79-377
  • 1950 - Federal Aid to Highway PL 81-769
  • 1954 - Saint Lawrence Seaway
    Saint Lawrence Seaway

    The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior....
     Act
  • 1956 - Federal-Aid to Highway/Interstate Highway Act PL 84-627
  • 1957 - Airways Modernization Act PL 85-133
  • 1958 - Transportation Act
    Transportation Act

    Transportation Act may refer to:...
     PL 85-625
  • 1958 - Federal Aviation Act PL 85-726
  • 1959 - Airport Construction Act PL 86-72
  • 1964 - Urban Mass Transportation Act
    Urban Mass Transportation Act

    Urban Mass Transportation Act may refer to:* Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964* Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970...
     PL 88-365
  • 1965 - Highway Beautification Act
    Highway Beautification Act

    In the United States, highway beautification is the subject of the Highway Beautification Act, passed in the United States Senate on September 16, 1965, the U.S....
     PL 89-285
  • 1966 - Department of Transportation established PL 89-670
    Uniform Time Act
    Uniform Time Act

    The Uniform Time Act is a 1966 United States federal law whose effect was to simplify the official pattern of where and when Daylight saving time is applied within the U.S....
  • 1970 - Urban Mass Transportation Act
    Urban Mass Transportation Act

    Urban Mass Transportation Act may refer to:* Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964* Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1970...
     PL 91-453
  • 1970 - Rail Passenger Service Act
    Rail Passenger Service Act

    The Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, a United States federal law, created Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation of the United States....
     PL 91-518
  • 1970 - Airport and Airway Development Act PL 91-258
  • 1973 - Federal Aid Highway Act PL 93-87
  • 1973 - Amtrak Improvement Act PL 93-146
  • 1973 - Federal Aid Highway Act PL 93-87
  • 1974 - National Mass Transportation Assistance Act
    National Mass Transportation Assistance Act

    The National Mass Transportation Assistance Act of 1974 is a United States federal law that extended the Urban Mass Transportation Act to cover operating costs as well as construction costs....
     PL 93-503
  • 1976 - Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act
    Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act

    The Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976, Pub. L. 94-210, Feb. 5, 1976, 90 Stat. 31, was a United States federal law that funded the reorganized bankrupt Northeast and Midwest railroads that formed Conrail in 1975; it is best known for approving the Final System Plan for Conrail which specified which lines Conrail would...
     PL 94-210
  • 1976 - Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act
    Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act

    The Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 is a set of amendments to the antitrust laws of the United States, principally the Clayton Antitrust Act....
     PL 94-435
  • 1978 - Airline Deregulation Act
    Airline Deregulation Act

    The Airline Deregulation Act is a United States federal law signed into law on October 24, 1978. The main purpose of the act was to Airline deregulation over fares, routes and market entry from commercial aviation....
     PL 95-504
  • 1980 - Motor Carrier Act
    Motor Carrier Act

    Motor Carrier Act may refer to* Motor Carrier Act of 1935, a United States federal law amending the Interstate Commerce Act to regulate bus lines and airlines as public utility....
     PL 96-296
  • 1980 - Staggers Rail Act
    Staggers Rail Act

    The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 , signed into law by President of the United States Jimmy Carter on October 14, deregulated the railroad industry ...
     PL 96-448
  • 1982 - Transportation Assistance Act PL 97-424
  • 1982 - Bus Regulatory Reform Act PL 97-261
  • 1987 - Surface Transportation Act PL 100-17
  • 1991 - Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act
    Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act

    The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and transportation policy, as the first U.S....
     PL 102-240
  • 1998 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
    Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

    The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century was enacted June 9, 1998, as Public Law 105-178. TEA-21 authorized the Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period 1998-2003....
     PL 105-178
  • 2000 - Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century
    Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century

    The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century is a United States federal law seeking to improve airline safety. It is popularly called "AIR 21," and is also known as Public Law 106-181....
     PL 106-181
  • 2002 - Homeland Security Act
    Homeland Security Act

    The Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 , introduced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, created the United States Department of Homeland Security in the largest federal government reorganization since the United States Department of Defense was created via the National Security Act of 1947 ....
     (PL 107-296)
  • 2005 - Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (PL 109-59)


See also

  • Advanced transportation controller
    Advanced transportation controller

    The advanced transportation controller is a standardization effort being undertaken by the United States Department of Transportation as part of their Intelligent transportation system efforts....
  • National Transportation Safety Board
    National Transportation Safety Board

    The National Transportation Safety Board is an Independent agencies of the United States government responsible for civil transportation accident investigation....
  • Passenger vehicles in the United States
    Passenger vehicles in the United States

    Note: this article adopts the U.S. Department of Transportation's definition of a passenger vehicle, to mean a car or truck, used for passengers, excluding buses and trains....
  • United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...


External links