Transportation Whistleblower Protection

Transportation Whistleblower Protection: Five Modes, One Shared Process

Workers across every major mode of transportation — aviation, rail, public transit, trucking, and maritime shipping — have their own dedicated federal whistleblower statute, each administered through OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program described on our OSHA whistleblower page. This page covers what’s distinctive about each.

Aviation: AIR21

The Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR21) protects employees of air carriers and their contractors and subcontractors who report violations of federal aviation safety regulations. AIR21 carries a 90-day filing deadline — notably shorter than most of the other transportation statutes described below.

Trucking: The Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA)

STAA protects truck drivers, mechanics, freight handlers, and commercial bus drivers who report commercial motor vehicle safety violations, refuse to drive in violation of safety rules, accurately report their hours of service, cooperate with safety investigations, or provide information about an accident involving a commercial vehicle. STAA carries a 180-day filing deadline.

A distinctive feature worth knowing: under STAA, if your employer contests OSHA’s findings, the Department of Labor’s own Solicitor’s Office typically litigates the case on your behalf — unlike most other statutes covered on this site, where you’d rely on your own private attorney throughout. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have your own counsel, but it does mean the government has a direct stake in prosecuting meritorious STAA cases.

Railroads: The Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA)

FRSA protects employees of railroad carriers and their contractors from retaliation for reporting violations of federal railroad safety or security law, reporting hazardous safety conditions, refusing to violate safety rules, refusing to work when confronted with a hazardous condition under imminent danger circumstances, or requesting prompt medical treatment for a work-related injury. FRSA carries a 180-day filing deadline, with a kick-out provision allowing you to remove your case to federal court if OSHA hasn’t issued a final decision within 210 days.

Public Transit: The National Transit Systems Security Act (NTSSA)

NTSSA protects employees of public transportation agencies who report hazardous safety or security conditions, violations of federal law relating to public transportation agency safety, or the abuse of federal transit grants. Like FRSA, NTSSA carries a 180-day filing deadline.

Maritime: The Seaman's Protection Act (SPA)

SPA protects “seamen” — broadly defined to include anyone engaged or employed in any capacity aboard a covered vessel, including certain land-based workers who spend part of their duties on board, as well as former seamen and job applicants. SPA borrows its procedures directly from STAA, carries the same 180-day filing deadline, and shares STAA’s approach of having the government’s Solicitor’s Office typically handle litigation when a case is contested.

Protected activity under SPA includes reporting a maritime safety violation to the Coast Guard or another federal agency, refusing to perform duties reasonably believed to risk serious injury (after first giving the employer a chance to correct the condition), testifying in a related proceeding, reporting a work-related injury or illness, and accurately reporting hours of duty.

Worth knowing: SPA was later amended to also protect seamen who report sexual harassment or sexual assault against themselves or another seaman — not just traditional safety violations. If this applies to your situation, see our Sexual Harassment Law overview for the broader legal framework that may also be relevant.

Talk to a Transportation Whistleblower Attorney

Whether you work in aviation, trucking, railroads, public transit, or maritime shipping, the specific statute that applies to you comes with its own deadline and procedural quirks. Wilkenfeld Law Office can help you identify the right path and act within the applicable deadline.

Or call 301.245.3035 · Intake@WilkenfeldLO.com

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Reviewed by Ari Wilkenfeld, Esq. (DC Bar No. 461063; MD Bar No. 9806240300). Ari has over 27 years of experience litigating in federal and state courts, and before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and various arbitration panels. Ari has been recognized by Esquire Magazine as “a famously determined Civil Rights lawyer” and by the New York Post as “a high powered DC Lawyer.” Last updated: August 28, 2026.