DOT to Audit FMCSA's High-Risk Investigative Practices
The U.S. DOT's Office of Inspector General announced in early May that it will audit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's investigative practices for high-risk motor carriers.
The audit was prompted by an investigation over a year ago after it was reported that the FMCSA had ordered but never initiated an investigation into the negative driver-related safety record of a carrier involved in a crash that killed a toll way worker.
The agency had taken a brief enforcement action against the company but ultimately did not force the carrier to resolve numerous safety deficiencies based on records the newspaper obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Recurring violations cited include instances of drivers falsifying duty logbooks and violating hours-of-service rules.
The DOT Inspector General was asked to audit the FMCSA's investigative practices, including a provision in the funding bill that directed the department's Inspector General to conduct that audit and to recommend ways to ensure that the agency does not miss opportunities to take dangerous drivers or motor carriers off the road before accidents happen.
A memo to FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling from DOT Assistant Inspector General for Surface Transportation Audits Mitchell Behm advised that "our audit objective is to assess FMCSA's processes for ensuring that reviews of motor carriers flagged for investigation are timely and adequate." He noted that the audit was to begin immediately.
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