Government's Carrier Safety Database Is Prone to Inconsistencies, Misuse by Public, Critics Claim

The computerized database by which the federal government ultimately gauges a trucking operation’s qualities in the realm of safety is burdened by incomplete and sometimes misleading information on accidents, drivers and maintenance operations, according to a number of industry consultants. As a result, they said, the database — a matter of public record — may not accurately portray a particular company’s true safety fitness.

Flaws in safety compliance reviews, accident reporting and recordkeeping procedures compound the problem of measuring safety, said the experts interviewed by Transport Topics, some of whom had long careers in the national agency responsible for trucking safety. Moreover, the industry’s customers and the general public have a misconception of purpose of the data and their role in assigning carrier safety ratings, using the reports to make decisions about trucking companies — something, they said, that was never intended.

One key aspect of the argument is the value of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Safety Status Measurement System — SafeStat, as the computer program is known to trucking and its regulators. It is the means by which federal officials zero in on trucking’s bad guys.

For the full story, see the July 30 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.