Originally published at: FMCSA Counts Inspections. Nobody Counts Compliance. - FreightWaves
FMCSA and its state partners conduct 3.3 million roadside inspections annually, placing nearly a million vehicles and drivers out of service, but states are measured on inspection volume, not enforcement outcomes. The inspectors’ own alliance wants to eliminate the requirement that carriers confirm they fixed the problems. There are 800,000 carriers and 12,000 audits a year. Texas has a state law that conflicts with federal ELP requirements, so drivers get licensed there and are placed out of service elsewhere. We’re counting inspections. Nobody’s counting compliance.
I was told by a Maryland DOT officer that they often refrain from writing citations or summonses for relatively minor traffic infractions because they assume a judge can lower or dismiss the charge. This evidently has a negative impact on the CSA/FMCSA stats. I have come to believe that the best way to get a driver to comply with anything is to impose a penalty…fine, pay deduction, DL points. The CSA inspection violations are often presented to drivers as a “warning” so the inspecting officers often downplay the points on the CSA and inform drivers that those points don’t affect their license. This may be true to a point, but the drivers feel as though the inspections are not significant. This puts more burden on the Carrier who has to bear the consequences through increased insurance premiums, increased audit frequency, etc. It FMCSA really wants to make a difference they would begin a campaign where the drivers are fined monetarily for unsafe driving and hours of service violations. This would have an immediate impact on safety and compliance. Also, commercial drivers are among the only group of credentialed professionals that are not required to obtain professional development training or continuing education credits to stay current. I believe this type of requirement would help keep drivers informed of rule changes and important issues affecting the industry. Just my two cents…