http://www.oig.dot.gov/rss.jsp?subject=23 The 10 most recent releases on the U.S. DoT OIG web site related to Motor Carrier Safety en-US webmaster@oig.dot.gov (OIG Webmaster) http://www.oig.dot.gov/images/dot.gif http://www.oig.dot.gov/rss.jsp?subject=23 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2530 On August 17, we issued our report on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations (FMCSA) implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA) crossborder trucking provisions. This report is required under Section 350(c) of the FY 2002 Department of Transportation Appropriations Act. We found that FMCSA continually took actions to address our August 2007 recommendations for improving the border safety program, but needed to enhance the consistency of information reported to the Mexican Conviction Database (MCDB) and its capacity to perform safe and efficient bus inspections at border crossings. FMCSA concurred with all five of the reports recommendations for improvement and provided appropriate planned actions and target completion dates. Note: As directed in the committee report accompanying the annual appropriations act for the Department of Transportation, OIG reports requested by the House or Senate Committees on Appropriations must be withheld from public distribution for a period of 15 days. In compliance with this requirement, the report was made available on our Web site on September 2, 2009. Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2530 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2519 On July 30, 2009, we issued our report on the audit of the Data Integrity of the Commercial Drivers License Information System (CDLIS), as required by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA−LU). This audit addressed the validity of CDLIS data and security issues. We assessed: (1) whether convictions received from the courts were recorded in a timely manner, (2) whether CDLIS and state department of motor vehicles (DMV) systems were adequately secured, and (3) the adequacy of contingency plans to ensure continued CDLIS service to DMVs following a disaster or other emergency. FMCSA has taken measures to strengthen the CDL program, but additional action is necessary to increase the safety of the Nations highways. First, DMVs are still experiencing delays in posting convictions to their driver history records for CDLIS users access. Second, deficiencies in security controls persist. Specifically, system certification and accreditation reviews have not been completed, and states lag in developing and implementing comprehensive security policies and procedures to better protect DMV systems. Third, enhanced contingency planning and testing of both CDLISAccess and state DMV systems has not fully occurred. We made specific recommendations to address these weaknesses. The Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration concurred with our findings and recommendations, and has provided plans to take specific actions to implement them. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2519 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2426 On February 6, 2009, we issued a status report on the NAFTA CrossBorder Trucking Demonstration Project, in keeping with legislation enacted in May 2007. By law, we are required to issue a final report 60 days after the conclusion of the project, which was initiated on September 6, 2007. This report describes the status of the project at the conclusion of the first year. It also responds to a question for the record from our March 2008 testimony before the Senate on the withdrawal of Trinity Industries de Mexico from the project. Our report found that after the first year, FMCSA has not demonstrated that the number of Mexican carriers participating in the demonstration project is adequate to yield statistically valid results, and that in some respects, the participants are not representative of all applicants for longhaul authority in terms of some business characteristics and outofservice rates. The panel that the Department established to provide an independent evaluation of the demonstration project completed its report on the first year of the demonstration project but will not continue in that capacity during the remainder of the project. FMCSA will continue to monitor the participants and conduct an internal evaluation of any effects of the project on motor carrier safety in the United States. While FMCSA implemented Federal and state monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and checks are occurring at the border, a key quality control measure designed to provide assurance that all trucks are checked is not adequate because it relies on incomplete data. Finally, Trinity Industries de Mexico voluntarily withdrew from the project to avoid business disruptions, and its prior safety history showed that outofservice rates were lower that those of United States carriers. We recommended that FMCSA demonstrate that the project meets congressional requirements to yield statistically valid results by (a) determining the minimum number of Mexican carriers that must participate, (b) developing a plan to attain a sufficient number of carriers if they have not met this threshold, and (c) providing this information to the OIG and appropriate congressional committees. We also recommended that FMCSA develop and implement a new quality control plan to provide assurance that every Mexican truck is checked upon every entry to the United States, and that FMCSA conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine if renewing GPS services will provide benefits that outweigh the costs. Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2426 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2392 The Office of Inspector General plans to audit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations (FMCSA) Motor Coach Safety Program. Our audit objective is to determine whether FMCSA effectively implemented its National Motor Coach Safety Program. This program emphasizes (1) conducting more compliance reviews of motor coach carriers; (2) establishing a prioritization system for motor coach carrier compliance reviews; (3) mandating state motor coach inspection programs; (4) improving safety data, including a bus crash causation study; (5) reducing motor coach fires; and (6) expediting safety audits of new motor coach carriers. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2392 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2374 On October 7, 2008, the Assistant Inspector General for Highway and Transit Audits testified at the National Transportation Safety Boards (NTSB) hearing covering a motor coach crash that occurred on January 2, 2008, in Victoria, Texas. At the request of the NTSB, the testimony covered prior Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report findings and recommendations pertaining to Mexicodomiciled bus inspections performed at United StatesMexico border crossings and Mexicodomiciled vehicle compliance with United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Standards (FMVSS) while operating in the United States. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2374 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2358 On September 24, 2008, as required in Section 4139(b) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, we issued our report on the scope and methodology used in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations (FMCSA) April 2006 Review of Canadian/Mexican Compliance With Federal Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Our audit objective was to provide our observations of the scope and methodology FMCSA used in its review. Our audit found that while the review provided evidence that most vehicles sampled complied with FMVSS, the estimates subsequently formulated based on the sample were not statistically valid because of how the sample was selected and projected. Additionally, the quantitative impacts of key assumptions are not clearly presented for report users to effectively evaluate the estimates made. According to FMCSA, the concerns raised may be valid, but FMCSA does not expect that the reported findings are significantly affected by them. Additionally, FMCSA agreed to the two recommendations that focus on actions FMCSA needs to take to ensure that any future FMVSS compliance reviews include appropriate review by a FMCSA statistical expert and that results are clearly presented. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2358 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2330 On July 10, 2008, we issued our report on Use of Income Derived from the Commercial Drivers License Information System for Modernization. This audit was performed in response to a requirement in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The objectives of our audit were to: (1) determine how net income should be used under the CDLIS modernization grant, (2) identify total revenue derived from CDLIS user fees, the amount of related expenses AAMVA incurred, and net income, and (3) determine how the net income was used.Our audit found that under the regulation governing Federal grants for modernizing CDLIS, program income derived from CDLIS revenue and fees during the grant project period must be used for operating and modernizing the system. We made recommendations for FMCSA to amend its 1988 operating agreement with AAMVA to ensure that program income derived from CDLIS revenue and fees during the grant project period is used for operating and modernizing the system, that provisions are made for states to pay for future CDLIS enhancements, and that AAMVA accounts for and reports to FMCSA the amount and use of program income from CDLIS. On June 9, 2008, after we issued our draft report, FMCSA entered into a new Cooperative Agreement with AAMVA to reflect the current programs, systems, and organizational changes that occurred since the 1988 operating agreement was ratified. The new Cooperative Agreement appears to address our recommendations. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2330 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2253 On March 11, 2008, Inspector General Calvin L. Scovel III testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the Department‘‘s CrossBorder Trucking Demonstration Project. We are required by law to provide an interim and final report on the demonstration project that allows a select number of Mexicodomiciled motor carriers to operate throughout the United States. At the 6month point, we made the following three major observations: (1) The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has implemented plans to ensure it checks every participating truck every time it crosses the border, but it has not implemented a key quality control to ensure that checks are being done, despite a commitment to do so in the Department‘‘s report to Congress. (2) The limited data available at this time means we cannot draw meaningful conclusions about the safety performance of the demonstration project participants. Far fewer carriers and vehicles have participated in the project than expected. (3) FMCSA has taken actions to establish and enhance mechanisms for assessing adverse safety impacts from the project and for monitoring and enforcing safety rules for project participants. These actions include establishing and providing information to an independent panel and providing guidance and training to state officials. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2253 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2254 On March 10, 2008, we issued our Interim Report on NAFTA CrossBorder Trucking Demonstration Project, as required by legislation enacted in May 2007. By law, we are required to issue an interim report at the sixmonth point of the demonstration project, which was initiated on September 6, 2007, and a final report 60 days after the conclusion of the project.Our audit found that at the 6month point, fewer Mexican carriers and vehicles have participated in the project than expected. The low number of carriers currently participating is not sufficient to provide reliable statistical projections regarding safety attributes of Mexican carriers. The Department has established and is supporting an independent panel to assess any adverse safety impacts from the project; however, the panel is also concerned that it will have insufficient data when the project ends. Finally, FMCSA has established and enhanced mechanisms for state and Federal monitoring and enforcement of safety rules. Federal Motor Carrier Administration records show that checks of Mexican vehicles and drivers are occurring at the border, but FMCSA does not have assurance that every participating truck and driver is checked every time it crosses the border into the United States because a key quality control measure designed to ensure this occurs has not been implemented. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2254 http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2180 The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an audit of the 1year demonstration project (also referred to as a pilot program) that would permit up to 100 motor carriers domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond the commercial zones along the United StatesMexico border. The audit is in response to provisions in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007.The specific objectives for this audit will be to determine whether: (1) the Secretary of Transportation has established sufficient mechanisms to determine whether the demonstration project is adversely affecting motor carrier safety, (2) Federal and state monitoring and enforcement activities are sufficient to ensure that participants in the demonstration project are complying with all applicable laws and regulations, and (3) the demonstration project consists of a representative and adequate sample of Mexicodomiciled carriers that are likely to engage in crossborder operations beyond the United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United StatesMexico border. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2180