The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday, July 19, announced that in the last two years, the Obama administration has issued as many imminent hazard orders placing unsafe bus and truck companies out of service as in the previous 10 years combined. DOT says the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has cracked down on unsafe carriers through surprise inspections, full compliance reviews and enforcement actions.
Between 2000 and 2009, FMCSA issued a total of 14 imminent hazard orders placing unsafe carriers out of service. In just the last two years, FMCSA already has issued another 14 imminent hazard orders to take carriers that pose an immediate risk to passengers off the road.
“From Day One, I have pledged to put public safety above all else, and we will continue to take action when we see carriers placing passengers at risk,” says U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We have seen the tragic consequences of unsafe practices – whether it’s ignoring fatigue regulations, providing inadequate driver training or failing to conduct the proper maintenance of a bus or motorcoach. We continue using all of the tools at our disposal to get unsafe carriers off the road and hope that Congress will act on our proposal to provide us with the necessary authority to expand our safety oversight.”
FMCSA also has doubled the number of bus inspections and safety reviews of the nation’s estimated 4,000 passenger bus companies. Roadside inspections of motorcoaches have jumped nearly 100 percent, from 12,991 in 2005 to 25,703 in 2010, while compliance reviews are up 128 percent, from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010. In addition, FMCSA has initiated a greater number of enforcement cases against unsafe passenger carriers under the current administration: these cases have risen from 36 in 2008 to 44 in 2010.
In May, FMCSA and its state and local law enforcement partners conducted more than 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections over a two-week period that resulted in 442 unsafe buses or drivers being removed from the nation’s roadways. The strike force took 127 unsafe drivers and 315 unsafe vehicles off the road during these unannounced inspections.
DOT has asked Congress to provide FMCSA with greater authority to pursue unsafe “reincarnated” passenger carriers by establishing a uniform federal standard to help determine whether a new carrier is a reincarnation of an old, unsafe carrier. DOT also has asked Congress to approve a new procedure that would allow FMCSA to conduct bus safety inspections at en route locations such as rest stops and to require new motorcoach companies to undergo a full safety audit before receiving operating authority. To ensure passenger carriers operating in violation of DOT regulations are punished, DOT has asked Congress to raise the penalty for operating illegally or without authority from $2,000 a day to $25,000 per violation.
“I’m proud of FMCSA’s efforts to crack down and take action on unsafe interstate bus and trucking companies,” says FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. “Our safety investigators, inspectors and state partners will continue demanding that motor carriers and their drivers adhere to safety requirements. While most of the industry operates safely, I also look forward to working with Congress to add new tools to prevent unsafe companies and drivers from operating.”
