FMCSA must address ratings system shortcomings, OIG says

Washington – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has failed to fully implement key components and planned improvements of its federal bus and truck ratings system in a timely manner, according to a recent report from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.

OIG was directed by Congress to audit the data quality and enforcement functions of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, which recently has received both praise and criticism for its Safety Measurement System used to calculate a carrier’s risk of a future crash.

Among OIG’s criticisms:

• Inadequate training and software support that has prevented 40 states and the District of Columbia from conducting CSA enforcement interventions on high-risk carriers
• Failure to improve the consistency of carrier-reported data and state-issued corrections on inaccurate information
• Not following industry best practices and federal guidance for testing and documenting changes to the system’s rating methodology

FMCSA said it concurred with all of OIG’s recommendations.