Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/129328
FMCSA is putting extra muscle into shutting down truck and bus fleets. Small carriers are most vulnerable. BY TODD DILLS T he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been on a tear over the last year with the issuance of imminent-hazard out-of-service orders. FMCSA statistics show a nearly fivefold increase – 10 to 48 – in imminent-hazard out-of-service orders issued from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2012 for bus and truck fleets. While official numbers from FMCSA show fairly level numbers between fiscal 2011 and 2012, one trucking consultant has seen Unfit/Out-of-Service orders spike for carriers found in serious noncompliance after not following through on corrective action plans – a do-or-die fix-it list. INTERVENTIONS: WHEN AND WHY Interventions can be as intensive as traditional full compliance reviews – called "onsite comprehensive investigations" within Compliance Safety Accountability – or as simple as a warning letter. 42 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL CCJ_0513_EquipFeature.indd 42 For many years, FMCSA officials say, any high-profile crash – something involving multiple fatalities that is the fault of the carrier or a significant event that draws media attention – has triggered an investigation. The MAP-21 highway bill passed last year also has given the agency more firepower in its efforts to be decisive in shutting carriers down. As FMCSA steps up its enforcement, it's focusing largely on two areas: the Hours of Service Compliance and, foremost, Vehicle Maintenance Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs), says Richard Wilson, regulatory manager for Trans Products Trans Services, a compliance services provider. According to federal data analyzed by RigDig Business Intelligence and reported by CCJ in March, maintenance infractions make up 71 percent of all violations found during the first two years of the CSA program, with hours 9 percent – the next biggest share among the BASICs. Wilson's observation is based on his work supporting | MAY 2013 4/24/13 1:57 PM