Did you know you can check the safety performance of America's trucking companies and motorcoach carriers?
The information is available online at the website of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The agency's mission is to reduce fatal truck accidents and fatal bus accidents in Missouri and all 50 states.
FMCSA recently revamped its Compliance, Safety, Accountability program, which measures and reports on accidents involving commercial trucks and bus companies. The new model covers every commercial vehicle weighing over 5 tons that travels on the nation's interstates, and all commercial vehicles carrying hazardous cargo.
This safety monitoring system includes:
- Reviewing truck and bus crashes to identify dangerous driver and company behaviors
- Addressing specific dangerous behaviors of truck companies and motorcoach operators, and their drivers
- Dictating how safety and accident data are collected, analyzed and shared
Unsafe Actions by Truck and Bus Drivers
As part of this process, the federal agency uses what is called the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to gather truck and bus accident information. Data is culled from roadside inspection violations and crashes reported by each state, and include:
- Incidents of unsafe actions by truck and bus drivers
- Hours of Service records and violations
- Truck and bus maintenance
- Truck and bus driver fitness
The results of the agency's safety research on trucking companies and bus companies are posted online.
Recently, several industry lobbying organizations, including the American Trucking Associations and the American Bus Association, appealed to the Department of Transportation to pull this safety information from public view. This is hardly surprising, as it can be argued that these industries often place profits over public safety.
Catastrophic accidents caused by negligent truckers, bus drivers, and their employers kill thousands of people each year. If you had a family member die in such a circumstance, an attorney can investigate the cause or causes of the fatal accident, and help hold accountable those responsible for your loss.
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