FMCSA outlines new regulations at industry conference

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced that they are working on a few new regulation proposals, Fleet Owner reports.

Under one proposal, the FMCSA would separate safety fitness rating performance data from the accident-related information, which are contained in the agency's safety measurement system. Officials told the news source that they expect this determination to be out later this year.

They added that this approach is designed to ensure better trucking safety ratings that are consistent with how companies operate. For instance, the FMCSA sent out more than 23,000 warning letters to carriers indicating that they were close to noncompliance penalties.

Officials said that the agency wants to become more proactive rather than reactive in getting companies that have dangerous drivers off the road. Nearly 10 percent of the 500,000 carriers listed in the FMCSA database have one or more "alerts" based on their safety performance data in the last 18 months.

According to the FMCSA, more than 3 million roadside driver inspections were conducted at the state level in 2010. Furthermore, nearly 20 percent of trucks involved in safety reviews were rendered out-of-service for noncompliance.

FMCSA outlines new regulations at industry conference

Thursday, March 17th, 2011