Internal Federal Audit Faults CSA
An internal audit released March 7 criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for not ensuring that data in the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program is complete, that the system follows the best technology practices or that states are using the data correctly.
The report came weeks after the Government Accountability Office found that some data in the federal system for tracking carriers’ safety lack a “strong predictive relationship with crashes.”
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General said FMCSA has not ensured that trucking and bus companies update data such as their annual mileage and the number of vehicles they operate, problems OIG identifed before CSA was launched.
“FMCSA took limited action to address inaccurate and incomplete data reported by carriers, despite our 2006 recommendations,” OIG said, noting that only about 401,000 of the 803,000 active carriers in the country have updated their data in the past two years, as required.
FMCSA told OIG that it started revoking the operating authority of carriers that have not updated their data shortly after the auditing agency completed its review.
OIG also faulted FMCSA for not properly documenting whether it followed best practices from industry and government for developing and testing the carrier safety measurement system, a key feature of CSA. “Industry best practices and federal guidance emphasize thorough documentation of information technology system components and controls,” the report said, which FMCSA did not do.
The audit recommended that FMCSA get states to agree to federal guidelines about enforcement actions within CSA, including roadside inspections and on-site reviews of trucking and bus companies. Only 10 states have implemented the guidelines, but FMCSA said that number will increase when it releases new software for states in 2015.
OIG’s audit stemmed from a 2012 request by leaders of the House Transportation Committee’s subcommittee on highway and transit. The report found that FMCSA has improved CSA data quality in recent years, but the program could be better.
In a written response to OIG, FMCSA said it concurred with all of the recommendations in the audit and would implement the changes this year.
American Trucking Associations said the OIG audit confirms many industry objections to CSA.
“The Inspector General’s report confirms what industry stakeholders, independent researchers and other government watchdogs have found: There continue to be significant flaws in the data FMCSA is using to evaluate and score carriers under CSA,” ATA Executive Vice President Dave Osiecki said in a March 10 statement. “ATA continues to support the oversight mission and safety goals of CSA — but FMCSA must acknowledge the program’s many problems — and commit to addressing them.”
