Longer Combination Trucks: Driver Controls and Equipment Inspection Should Be Improved
RCED-94-21
Published: Nov 23, 1993. Publicly Released: Nov 23, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed states' regulation of longer combination vehicles (LCV), focusing on: (1) the availability of state data to monitor the safety of current LCV operations; (2) state requirements for special inspections of LCV equipment; and (3) whether state controls effectively ensure safe LCV operation.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | To provide better and more complete information on the safety of LCV, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, Federal Highway Administration (FHwA), to further investigate the safety of LCV operations through the targeting of LCV for inspections or through special studies, such as the ongoing FHwA study of LCV accident rates, and encourage states to use inspection data to monitor the adequacy of companies' maintenance. |
Closed – Implemented
In January 1994, FHwA awarded a contract for a special study to determine the accident rates of 100 motor carriers using LCV.
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| Department of Transportation | To provide better and more complete information on the safety of LCV, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Administrator, Federal Highway Administration (FHwA), to include in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations requirements concerning the driving experience and the past safety records of drivers assigned to LCV to help ensure that drivers are adequately qualified to operate them. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Section 4019 of the recently enacted Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (P.L. 105-178, June 9, 1998), requires that FHwA review and revise, if necessary, the procedures for testing and licensing commercial vehicle operators to ensure that they reflect the knowledge and skills an operator needs. This requirement for a comprehensive reassessment of FHwA procedures supersedes the need to implement the specific recommendation in the report.
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