Buses - Motorcoaches Expert Witnesses: 4

Donald L. Hess, President of DLH Associates, Inc., has been providing expert witness services to attorneys and other clients, including Analysis of Vehicle Crashes since 1996. His specialty is crashes involving Commercial Motor Vehicles, including trucks, tractor-trailers, and buses.

With well over two million miles of safe cross-country trucking experience, followed by over 20 years as a driver trainer and creator / administrator of commercial driving programs, Mr. Hess is well-qualified to provide analysis of what drivers are trained to do in specific situations and circumstances, what federal and state regulations call for and require, and all aspects of the safe and proper operation of commercial motor vehicles. As a motorcyclist with over 45 years of riding and training experience, he is also qualified to comment on accidents involving motorcycles.

Mr. Hess has been nationally-recognized as a leader in safety and training issues, is a winner of the American Trucking Associations Million Mile Driving award, and was a winner of the Truckload Carriers Association Lee Crittenden award. Over his long and successful career in trucking and education, he has held numerous national board and officer positions in trucking and education.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hess is uniquely qualified to analyze and comment on driver behavior in virtually any situation, and has established a solid reputation as an expert witness in crashes involving trucks and commercial vehicles for both Plaintiff and Defense in over 500 hundred cases across the country since 1996. His experience includes significant deposition and trial testimony.

He possesses a unique combination of training, hands-on experience, and education that combine to position him as a leading expert in all facets of trucking. Mr. Hess still maintains a valid, current Commercial Driver License fully endorsed for Combination Vehicles, Doubles-Triples, Tankers, Hazardous Materials, Motorcycles, and Buses. He also holds a USDOT Medical Exam Certificate. His CDL and medical certificate have been maintained without interruption or fault since 1971.

Areas of Expertise:

JP Transportation Safety Consulting, LLC (JPTSC) has more than one hundred years of combined experience serving the Shipping and Transportation industry relative to Workplace Safety and Regulatory Compliance. JPTSC helps companies of all types and sizes that operate commercial motor vehicles, as well as shippers and carriers of hazardous materials, with respect to compliance with Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations.

Litigation Support - JPTSC provides expert services to attorneys representing Plaintiff and Defense. They consult on cases involving:

	Jon (Paul) Dillard, President and Co-Founder, has fulfilled all of the educational requirements, acquired the professional experience and knowledge of the field, and attained the level of expertise and professionalism in Motor Fleet Supervision as a Certified Director of Safety from the North American Transportation Management Training Institute. He has been employed in the motor carrier industry for over 30 years and has successfully managed the safety, compliance, and claims for two major motor carriers as a Vice President and/or Director of Safety resulting in satisfactory compliance audits and significant reductions in accident frequency. Mr. Dillard is experienced and trained in: Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety and Compliance - Quality Management - Defensive Driving - Accident Investigation - Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations - Inspection / Maintenance - OSHA - Cargo Loading and Securement - Hazardous Materials Transportation.
	Jon O. Cook, COO, Co-Founder, is a former Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver and Owner Operator with over 1,000,000 over-the-road miles to his credit. He is a certified commercial driver examiner, having trained and road-tested hundreds of commercial drivers. Mr. Cook has been employed in various capacities in the trucking industry over the last 36 years. He served as Director of Safety for a large food-store chain in Birmingham, Alabama covering seven states. Mr. Cook also remains active in the Alabama Trucking Association. He has served on the Board of Directors and was previously Chairman of the Board and as President and Chairman of the Board for the North Alabama Chapter of the National Safety Council. Mr. Cook is experienced and trained in: DOT Compliance / Safety - Driver Recruiting - Qualification - Training and Maintenance Programs - Road Testing - Accident Avoidance - Defensive Driving - Fuel Economy - Cargo Securement - Proper Equipment Usage.
	Kenneth M. Price, a recent addition to JPTSC, has spent the last 5 years As a Motor Carrier Safety Specialist with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. His duties included planning, scheduling, and conducting compliance reviews on motor carriers throughout the State of Alabama to assure compliance with regulations, policies, and /or guidelines, including those concerned with the transportation and handling of hazardous materials. Mr. Price also assisted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Trial Attorney documenting evidence for a case that was going before an Administrative Law Judge. He has also worked with the Trial Attorney documenting evidence for the Field Administrators Reply to Preliminary Order on Petition for Review of Safety Ratings. Mr. Price is experienced and trained in: Compliance Reviews - Hazardous Materials - Safety Instructor - Motor Coach Bus Driver Qualifications.

View JP Transportation Safety's Consulting Profile.

Areas of Expertise: Accident analysis, testimony and mediation in vehicle and pedestrian accidents involving transit, paratransit, schoolbus, motorcoach, special education, non-emergency medical transportation, taxi, shuttle, child transport systems and services; slips and falls; crossing, boarding and alighting; wheelchairs; seatbelts; ADA and accessibility; passenger safety, security and sexual abuse; vehicle design, specification, crashworthiness, quality assurance and product liability; industry standards and practices; driver training and vehicle operation; management, monitoring, supervision and enforcement; maintenance; NHTSA, FTA, FMCSA and USDOT regulations; vehicle testing and certification; contract negotiation and compliance; risk management; planning and system design.

The Firm: Transportation Alternatives is a passenger transportation and automotive consortium engaged in consulting and forensic accident investigation and analysis (more than 600 cases). Specializes in elderly, disabled, schoolchildren. 

Education: MURP (Urban and Regional Planning): George Washington University, 1975 BA, English Literature: Rutgers University, 1969 

Professional Experience:

• President, Transportation Alternatives (1980 to present). Consulted to USDOT, transit agencies, private contractors, social service agencies, municipalities and school districts. Designed several major transportation systems
• Chairman/General Manager, PTS Transportation (1982-1992). Directed operations of a 70-vehicle paratransit system for physically and developmentally disabled individuals and a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) service
• President, TAM-USA (1989-1995). Formed and directed a U.S.-Slovene joint venture company which coordinated the design, testing, certification and marketing of a European-manufactured school bus and motorcoach. 

Appointments and Memberships:

• American Public Transportation Association
• National Association of Pupil Transportation
• United Motorcoach Association
• American Bus Association
• Community Transportation Association of America
• Association Internationale pour la Sécurité du Transport des Jeunes
• National School Transportation Conference (1995, 2000, 2005)
• Committee on School Transportation Safety, National Academy of Sciences
• Bus Industry Safety Committee (ABA)
• Access Committee (APTA)

Howard F. Berkowitz has extensive experience in the Passenger Transportation Industry. Since 1982, his career for over three decades qualifies him as expert in the industry of passenger transportation and provides critical knowledge and expertise in:

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT), Luxury Sedan & Limousine, Paratransit Operations, Expert Witness, Mass Transit, Compliance, Policy & Procedures, Safety Practices, Wheelchair & Stretcher Securement, and Transportation Network Companies