According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data covering its 2021 compliance
audit activity, more than 40% of all carrier audits last year were conducted off-site, that is, away from the carrier’s place of business. FMCSA had begun to transition its safety audits more toward off-site reviews prior to the pandemic, but with the onslaught of COVID-19, the agency began further limiting in-person contact between trucking company personnel and federal and state investigators.
In addition, 52% of audits conducted during 2021 resulted in a Conditional rating, if any rating was issued at all. While the Conditional rating may have been justified, carriers who have experienced a Conditional rating often face an uphill battle trying to remove the Conditional rating and replace it with a Satisfactory rating. Meanwhile many brokers and shippers won’t use their services.
Were you audited in 2021, and if so, was it an off-site audit? Our safety consultants are interested in learning more about your real-world audit experiences. Watch your email for a short survey on compliance audits and be sure to respond. If you have specific comments or questions to share, email us at safety@safecarriers.org.
Several lawsuits were filed challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) independent contractor (IC) regulation enacted by the Biden Administration and the DOL’s Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su in early 2024.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a Federal Register notice published April 1, denied a petition from the Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) requesting an investigation of collisions that van-type semi-trailers experience with passenger vehicles and other vulnerable road users.
ICSA representatives attended the TCA Truckload event, the preeminent event hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association, held in our hometown of Phoenix, AZ. We also attended the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), the largest trucking show in North America, held in Louisville, KY.