New Report: FMCSA Must Step Up Efforts against Rogue and Chameleon Carriers
In a report released last week, a government watchdog group sharply criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for the agency's failure to correct weaknesses in their oversight of motorcoaches.
The report, issued by the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG), specifically focused on so called "chameleon and rogue carriers."
FMCSA must implement "targeted and risk-based actions" to "more efficiently identify and take enforcement action against passenger carriers that pose safety risks," the report said.
OIG also made the following five recommendations
1. Strengthen the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's ability to identify and take action against reincarnated carriers by refining the new applicant screening tool to provide risk-based targeting of operating authority applicants that are likely to be reincarnations of suspect passenger carriers.
2. Publish a final rule on passenger carrier leasing with requirements similar to those for property carriers.
3. Publish a final rule establishing Federal procedures for addressing reincarnated carriers including placing them out of service.
4. Work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to develop and implement a risk-based solution, in compliance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, to target enforcement against U.S.-domiciled passenger carriers whose vehicles do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
5. Incorporate National Highway Traffic Safety Administration training modules on visually identifying vehicles' compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards into training provided to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enforcement officials through the National Training Center.
Click here to read the report and FMCSA's response
