New FMCSA Web Page Allows Greater Access to Motor Carrier Legal Orders

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Monday it has launched a new web page that improves free public access to orders and decisions on FMCSA civil penalty and safety rating cases.

FMCSA’s new web page also provides frequently asked questions aimed at helping parties understand  process for making these legal determinations, the Department of Transportation agency said in a statement.

“Placing . . . decisions online and making them easily searchable helps to fulfill President Obama’s promise of transparency and open government,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro.

“More access to information and resources will help regulated industry members and drivers understand FMCSA’s compliance and enforcement process,” she said in a statement.

Until now, FMCSA’s civil penalty and safety rating cases were available only by going to www.regulations.gov or through paid private-sector legal research websites. Now, members of the public can search the full text of hundreds of orders and decisions in cases where motor carriers have contested violations and penalties issued by FMCSA.

The new FMCSA web page includes decisions dated from 2009 to the present that can be sorted by carrier name, case type, docket number and order title. FMCSA said it will add new decisions once they become final.

In addition, the web page includes links for online Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as links to applicable statutes and regulations and other helpful resources on the functions of FMCSA’s Office of Chief Counsel.