Reported by Rick Schweitzer, NPTC
CARRIER SAFETY FITNESS PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO SECRETARY’S OFFICE
A draft proposed rule to revise the motor carrier safety fitness standards was submitted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation for review on December 19, 2011. DOT plans to send the proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget for clearance by January 19, 0212, with publication in the Federal Register planned for July 2, 0212.
The rulemaking would revise 49 CFR Part 385 in accordance with the FMCSA’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) initiative. Currently, the safety fitness rating of a motor carrier is determined based on the results of a very labor intensive compliance review conducted at the carrier’s place of business. Aside from roadside inspections and new audits, the compliance review is the agency’s primary tool for intervention with carriers.
Under CSA, FMCSA would propose to implement a broader array of progressive interventions, some of which allow FMCSA to make contact with more carriers. Through this rulemaking FMCSA intends to establish safety fitness determinations based on safety data from crashes, inspections, and violation history rather than just the standard compliance review.
