Kevin Jones
ccjdigital.com
December 18, 2013
In an annual review of the cross-border trucking program with Mexico, the DOT’s Office of the Inspector General says improvements are needed in the plan for inspecting buses but that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration otherwise “generally complies” with the safety criteria established by Congress – despite a decreasing number of truck inspectors and some software glitches.
“FMCSA has taken steps to improve passenger carrier safety at the border but has not taken sufficient actions to fully address our prior recommendations for improving its capacity to inspect buses,” the report says, referring to FMCSA’s 2009 agreement to revise its bus safety plan to include the frequency of required bus inspections and identify actions to eliminate obstacles to achieving inspection coverage, and to work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the General Services Administration to assess the safety and efficiency of the bus inspection space.
Related: Supreme Court to consider hearing case against Mexico trucking program
FMCSA updated its bus safety plan in December 2011, but the plan does not adequately address bus inspection frequency or identify actions to eliminate inspection obstacles, the review says. Likewise, FMCSA has not negotiated interagency agreements with CBP to establish standard bus inspection protocols or completed facility and staffing assessments needed to fully address inspection safety and efficiency issues.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!