Assets vs workload

Stanley Ray Hampton, I've been around trucking for a long time. First time I've heard "IFC," I used Google to no avail. What is an IFC?

The FMCSA claims it did 12,330 investigations in 2021, 4,343 by states and 7,987 by feds. The FMCSA may have 500 Motor Carrier Safety Specialist (MCS) that conduct compliance reviews.

Per the insert there were 738,383 carriers in 2021 with 690,053 carriers not rated and 48,330 with ratings.

You say that 80% of carriers a year can receive a simple audit. 738,383 X .8 = 590,706 reviews / 500 = 1,181.41 reviews per MCS a year / 12 months = 98.45 simple reviews a month per MCS / 22 workdays per month = 4.475 simple reviews per day.

What of the carriers that have CSA % issues and bad crashes? Based on your theory the FMCSA should do nothing but simple reviews.

My issue is that the lack of data is not a good thing; however, understand the logistics of having LEO personnel in the right place to cover the US population, i.e. you can't take the assets and disburse them equally as some will be overworked while others do nothing.

From 1999 to 2010 when I was an MCS/Hazardous Materials Specialist for the Illinois Division of the FMCSA Nebraska led the FMCSA in the number of reviews per MCS; whereas, NE had small mom/pop operations with fewer A and B carriers. In Illinois we had nothing but A and B carriers. In 2008 despite the non-believers, I did a compliance review (CR) on an Illinois based school bus operation with 10,000 drivers following a NTSB crash in Alabama involving a school bus doing outside activities. It took me three months to do the CR and I still had to meet my four CRs a month to stay out of trouble and 32 Level 1/5 roadside inspections a year to remain qualified.

Julie Cirillo was the 1st unofficial FMCSA administrator and served as such until Joseph Clapp was made the FMCSA Administrator by the senate in 2001 under President Bush. Julie Cirillo was a carryover from the FHWA and had some hard ideas on what MCS should do. I remember once she was tired of approving alternative days off for travel on Sunday for a Monday class, her fix? Have them fly on Friday. No ill wilk for Julie; however, she was a hard person to get along with. May she rest in peace.

JULIE CIRILLO Obituary (2022) - Fairfax, DC - The Washington Post (legacy.com)

Joseph Clapp wanted to make sure MCS knew what a truck was, he was responsible for adding the requirements that MCS inspected trucks as part of their duties. Joe only lasted for about 18 months before he was replaced, he had retired from YRC and came to the FMCSA as its first senate confirmed administrator.

Clapp Sworn in as Head of Motor Carrier Safety Agency | FMCSA (dot.gov)

FYI, before CSA the FMCSA assigned carriers based on the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) where carriers were rated A through F. A was bad F was good. The NTSB was upset because MCMIS only used OOS defects to rate carriers. So with pressure from the NTSB, a bill was introduced to swing CSA that used ALL violations on a roadside inspection.

Jack Van Steenburg I'm not sure what the FMCSA can do to improve the numbers. In August and again in October 2023 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration asked for comments on ways they could change the Safety Fitness Determination (SFD), reference FMCSA 2022-0003.

Federal Register :: Safety Fitness Determinations

Regulations.gov

I offered my two cents. I miss the days of wall-to-wall counseling. I know multiple FMCSA employees have been charged by junior members of upsetting their feelings by using non-politically correct language and there's been some allegations of sexual harassment. I remember when Kris Phillips was moved from Montana to the Midwest Service Center about 2004. She replaced Joe DeLorenzo as the Midwest Hazardous Materials Manager.

IMHO too many expect too much from the government and look for a saving grace. At one time the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stated a rating was a snapshot in time and not a constant in determining a carrier's safety management. I know states do Level IV CVSA inspections as special studies and they're often aimed at school bus operations. Perhaps the FMCSA needs to use some of its private contractors to do Level V inspections at carriers sans roadside inspection data.

Certifications Content.pdf (dot.gov)

I don't see anyway to conduct a "limited review" on 80% of the carriers with a US DOT number; however, it's very plausible to conduct at least a Level 5 inspection on 80% of the carriers. As of June 2023 about 55% of the carriers had zero roadside inspections in the previous two years. That's fundamentally wrong. IMHO it's plausible to conduct Level 5 inspections on carriers with an active DOT number. If nothing else the FMCSA can require New Entrant carriers to report to a scale to be inspected or add more vehicle inspectors to its rolls to travel and do Level 1 or Level 5 inspections.

The problem is a budget has to be approved so the actions can be implemented... FYI Stanley Hampton there's such a thing as the "Color of Money." Agencies must spend the budgeted funds as directed by the budget signed into law by the president. If you want to address budgets? Speak to your elected officials about how they allocated funds.

Be safe!