Court Upholds Safety Ratings System

A federal appeals court has upheld the federal motor carrier safety ratings system, rejecting trucking’s claims that the process is “arbitrary and capricious” and based on unsound methodology.

In a Feb. 12 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia said the Federal Highway Administration has been reasonable in assigning safety ratings even when it did not give reasons for its decisions. The court said the agency has broad discretion when inspecting motor carriers.

“The bottom line is, the court gave the agency a lot of deference because they perceived this was an issue involving safety,” said Lynda S. Mounts, acting general counsel of the American Trucking Associations’ Litigation Center. “I think we made some strong legal arguments, but I think basically the court gave the agency the benefit of every doubt because of safety.”

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