By Dave Millhouser

It cant be done. You cant drive past a police car without checking the rearview mirror to see if it has fallen in behind you.

Even when youve done nothing wrong, you fear the officer has seen some tiny infraction and will stop you, with the resulting hassle.

The number of motorcoach company compliance reviews by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and state agencies is on the rise, and the perception is that, like a truculent traffic cop, they can always find something wrong.

The safety reviews are increasing for a number of reasons.

The 24-hour news cycle highlights every serious bus crash and the public sees it. When theres an accident, folks want to know why and its government agencies (and politicians) they ask.

The response (and its not a bad one) has been increased scrutiny of our industry in several ways, including destination and roadside inspections and compliance reviews. Federal regulators say more are coming.

Compliance reviews are a bit like tax audits -- ugly but necessary. (Coincidentally, thats my wifes description of me.)

The way to prevent a tax audit is to avoid raising red flags, and that works for buses too. In a stunning display of logic, the FMCSA is looking closely at statistics gleaned from inspections, traffic violations and crashes, going after companies that consistently do poorly. These statistics are kept reasonably current and are available for all to see at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SafeStat/SafeStatMain.asp.

Tour-and-charter bus customers have learned to access this website, and many are using it as criteria for selecting a coach operator. Its a good idea for operators to check their own report regularly, so they know where they stand, and can spot (and correct) errors. If an operators numbers are good, its less likely to be on the FMCSA radar.

Sooner or later all operators will be reviewed, and there are some things that can be done to make the process less painful -- even helpful. Some companies feel the insights gained are worthwhile, and ask to be reviewed. This can help prevent accidents and document a companys effort to operate safely.

To follow the rules, an operator must know them. If you dont have a copy of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in your facility you should. There is a version available (through J.J. Keller & Associates or the United Motorcoach Association) that includes both the rules and interpretations. Interpretations are critical, so, for about $30 its a good investment.

A wise bus industry executive once said that "safety is between the owners ears." When the boss values safety, his or her company will too. The problem is that, as organizations grow, it becomes more difficult to maintain a corporate culture of safety.

The FMCSA requires certain minimum standards for drivers, maintenance and operational systems. A review is the agencys way of making sure operators institute and maintain those standards. Proper compliance is your lifeline during a review, or after an accident.

Someone has to be responsible for all of this. Large companies can dedicate a person or department. But even small companies need to have someone who is the hub for all this information and responsibility.

If he or she does it as part of their job, it needs to be an important, consistent task. They need to understand all the regulatory stuff and have the clout to institute the right systems in your company.

These procedures can be incorporated into the way you run your business, using government standards as part of your system to handle driver qualifications, operations and maintenance. Theres no sense in trying to do it your way, then scrambling to translate it all for government regulators.

The person responsible for compliance needs to be on top of it on a daily basis. When records are well maintained and easily accessible, regulators get a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Examiners understand that no ones perfect, but a string of lapses in logs or maintenance procedures sends a signal that a company is not taking things seriously. If mistakes are discovered late, and buried, the reviewer will generally find them, and wonder what else is being hidden.

Acknowledging an error tells a regulator that youre committed to getting things right, and improves your chances when you have a legitimate beef. These folks see lots of bus companies and have picked up insights into what does and doesnt make an operation safe.

Its never fun to be on the wrong end of a regulatory colonoscopy, but these guys really do care about safety and can teach us a lot -- if we let them.

Take this stuff seriously and keep on top of it because you dont ever know when youre going to be examined. Current, accurate driver files are crucial.

An older gentleman was being interviewed on his 100th birthday. The TV guy asked him why, after all these years, he was still reading his Bible every day.

"Cramming for the finals, sonny," said the old guy.

Good for him, but an iffy way to run a business. Cramming stuff together AFTER an incident is sure to make a bad situation worse.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.