Federal regulations require commercial truck drivers to conduct pre- and post-trip equipment inspections and file Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) after each inspection even if there is no problem.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced a proposal to eliminate a burdensome daily paperwork requirement for professional truck drivers that it is claimed will reduce costs to the industry by an estimated $1.7 billion annually while still maintaining the Department’s high safety standards.
In what has been a largely symbolic act, President Obama launched the Administration’s regulatory initiative in January 2011 by issuing Executive Order 13563. That called for a government-wide review of regulations on the books, with the goal of eliminating or modifying out-of-date, ineffective or overly burdensome regulations. Not much of substance came from the bureaucracy.
Current federal regulations require commercial truck drivers to conduct pre- and post-trip equipment inspections and file Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs) after each inspection – whether or not an issue requiring repairs is identified. DVIRs are said to be the 19th highest paperwork burden, based on the number of hours needed to comply, imposed by all federal agencies. Only 5% of reports filed include defects. Why this folly has continued for so long is a glowing tribute to government stupidity.
Under the proposed change, commercial truck drivers would continue conducting pre- and post-trip inspections. However, DVIRs would be required only if defects were discovered by or reported to the driver during the day’s operations.
“We can focus on the 5% of problematic truck inspection reports by eliminating the 95% that report the status quo,” said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Moving to a defect-only reporting system would reduce a significant paperwork burden facing truck drivers and save the industry billions without compromising safety.”
Ferro, an Obama Administration appointee, is former trucking association executive and lobbyist. Prior to her appointment as the head of truck safety at the Department of Transportation, Ferro was president of the Maryland Motor Truck Association for six years. Moreover, the association supported the Bush Administration increase in driver hours. (Read New DOT Rule Decreases Truck Driver Operating Times)
Federal regulations require that every commercial vehicle in the U.S. undergo an annual safety inspection conducted by a certified commercial vehicle mechanic. In addition, state and federal inspectors conduct unannounced, random inspections of commercial vehicles at terminals, weigh stations, truck stops along the roadside and at destinations. Vehicles that fail random safety inspections are immediately placed out of service and not allowed to operate until the identified safety problems are addressed. In 2012, approximately 3.5 million random inspections were conducted.
In June 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration eliminated a comparable requirement for truck drivers operating intermodal equipment trailers used for transporting containerized cargo shipments. By eliminating a requirement for drivers to submit “no defect” inspection reports of intermodal equipment trailer, cost savings to the intermodal industry is estimated at $54 million annually without an adverse impact upon safety, FMCSA claims.
