DOT Carrier Safety Programs Under Internal Review

The Department of Transportation’s inspector general has launched a sweeping review of the federal motor carrier safety program in response to congressional requests.

In an interview with Transport Topics, Inspector General Kenneth Mead said he could report what, if anything, is wrong with the Office of Motor Carriers in time for House and Senate hearings scheduled for the end of February. He said he couldn’t recommend until midyear whether the agency should stay in the Federal Highway Administration or move to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“First, we’ll see if it is broken from a safety oversight and enforcement point of view,” he said. “If it is broken, we’ll determine if the agency is in such a state of disrepair as to justify an organizational change — that on balance, this organization would become more effective if it is moved. If so, where would it go, and what would have to be done?”

The review is in response to requests from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.). Mr. Wolf asked the IG’s office to update its 1997 audit of OMC’s motor carrier compliance review program to bolster his effort to move the agency to NHTSA. Mr. McCain requested a review of Mr. Wolf’s proposal and an analysis of OMC’s effectiveness.

Mr. Mead said a team of 10 auditors will use the 1997 audit as a jumping-off point, along with insights gained from his office’s ongoing oversight of OMC’s enforcement of hours-of-service and hazardous materials transportation laws.

Auditors will determine if OMC has improved its system for targeting trucks for inspection, as it promised in 1997. They will also examine how the agency handles carriers with a history of violating regulations, and complaints by OMC inspectors about insufficient support staff leading to a decline in the number of compliance reviews the agency conducts.

Compliance reviews — in which federal and sometimes state inspectors examine a carrier’s safety procedures and paperwork, especially driver logbooks and records — are OMC’s chief enforcement tool. The reviews and accident history are major factors in a carrier’s safety fitness rating.

“We will also be able to address perceptions of the OMC work force to see if there is wasted effort in the program, whether inspectors are spending too much time on trivial matters and paperwork issues,” Mr. Mead said.

For the full story, see the Dec. 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

538