The Senator for Colorado is concerned about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ability to properly regulate the trucking industry with its current resources.
US Senator John Hickenlooper pressed for more scrutiny by the FMCSA in a letter to the group on Tuesday, September 10th.
According to the letter, there is “growing concern that FMCSA does not have the resources or capacity to thoroughly audit and oversee the vast number of commercial trucking companies moving goods across U.S. supply chains. For example, financial resource constraints, the sheer volume of commercial vehicles, and the complex logistics involved in conducting safety audits can impede the FMCSA’s ability to consistently and comprehensively enforce safety standards. These limitations may allow unsafe practices to go unchecked.”
“Inadequate compliance with safety standards by trucking companies that have repeatedly failed to comply, and have faced insufficient audits, poses significant risks to public safety,” the letter continues. “This lax oversight can lead to an increase in roadway fatalities and crashes, endangering the lives of passengers, drivers, and pedestrians alike. As we continue to see rising concerns about the safety of our highways, it is imperative that the FMCSA’s capacity to enforce safety regulations, increase compliance accountability, and conduct thorough audits is strengthened to mitigate these risks.”
The letter goes on to ask several questions of the agency aimed at better understanding “how to mitigate these issues going forward.”
“I urge the FMCSA to assess its current capabilities and consider potential avenues for bolstering its oversight mechanisms. The safety of our roads depends on the diligent enforcement of safety standards within the commercial trucking industry.”
You can read the full letter here.