FMCSA Five-Year Plan May Target Shippers, Brokers

Over the next five years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to significantly reduce truck-related crash fatality rates by developing new credentialing and driver safety fitness standards, expanding its regulatory reach to include shippers and other industry players and creating new programs aimed at weeding out high-risk motor carriers.

FMCSA said in its 2012-2016 strategic plan, made public earlier this month, that its commercial motor vehicle “Safety 1st Culture” will focus on all segments of transportation including shippers, receivers, brokers and freight forwarders; i.e., all sectors that may have a “detrimental effect on safety through their actions.”

“The greatest potential for creating the safest CMV industry lies in focusing on outreach, oversight, and enforcement resources on the entire CMV transportation life-cycle,” the plan stated.

FMCSA currently does not have the statutory authority to regulate shippers or receivers, but as a first step is conducting research on the impact they have on drivers who get detained at loading docks. To regulate shippers and receivers, FMCSA would need to seek enabling legislation from Congress.

Another agency study will survey carriers to determine how they compensate their drivers and what impact driver compensation packages have on safety.

• FMCSA’s long-term strategies also include:

• Preventing poor carriers from reincarnating to operate;

• Stepping up efforts to ensure that only qualified drivers are behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle;

• Addressing safety issues of a greater segment of the industry;

• Improving enforcement effectiveness and efficiency; and

• Reducing the number of unsafe and high-risk behaviors by drivers and carriers.