The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) employed by passenger carriers to report, via the driver-vehicle inspection reports (DVIR), any vehicle defects in need of repair noted or discovered during a driving day.
Drivers are required submit DVIRs to the motor carrier so that repairs can be readily made.
Currently, the regulations require drivers of passenger-carrying CMVs to file the DVIR even if there are no vehicle defects to report. Motor carriers are required to maintain the original DVIR, the certification of repairs and the certification of the driver’s review for three months from the date the written report was prepared.
The proposed rule would eliminate the need for a driver to file, and a motor carrier to maintain, a “no-defect” DVIR.
“This proposal is a commonsense way to reduce unnecessary, burdensome regulatory costs while ensuring the highest level of safety on our roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The proposal suggests the regulatory burden in terms of cost would be reduced by nearly $74 million annually and save the affected passenger carrier industry approximately 2.4 million hours.
Under the proposal, passenger carriers may continue to require a driver to continue filing no-defect DVIRs in the absence of the regulatory requirement as a condition of employment.
FMCSA does not believe eliminating the requirement will increase the number of out-of-service inspections or increase crashes.
Touted as the “most significant administrative action in the world of regulatory reform since President Reagan created the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in 1981,” the Trump Administration’s effort to reduce the number of regulations is part of an Executive Order issued in early 2017 to reduce regulatory compliance burdens—particularly for small businesses.
The proposed rule has a 60-day public comment period.
What do you think about this effort to reduce your regulatory compliance burden? Let us know at kpresley@uma.org.
