FMCSA seeking more input on how it decides if motor carriers are safe

Washington — As the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considers revising how it determines if truck and bus companies are fit to operate safely, the agency is asking for feedback on research that could impact its decision.

FMCSA is looking for input on six studies. Topics include:

• In-vehicle monitoring systems
• The association between crashes and safety-critical events
• The impact of federal compliance reviews on reducing crashes
• The effectiveness of forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking systems on front-to-rear crash rates

Comments are due Feb. 12.

FMCSA determines whether motor carriers are able to operate safely by using existing motor carrier data and data collected during compliance reviews. This forms a three-tiered rating system of satisfactory, conditional or unsatisfactory.

The agency accepted comment through Nov. 29 on a possible new methodology for making this determination, considering input on:

• Available science or technical information to analyze regulatory alternatives for determining carrier fitness
• Current agency safety fitness determination regulations, including feedback on the process and impacts
• Available data and costs for regulatory alternatives reasonably likely to be considered

In 2017, FMCSA withdrew a proposed rule that would have changed the SFD process for motor carriers.