WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking for public input on its decision to renew accident recordkeeping requirements for motor carriers.
The notice, posted on Aug. 7, notes that the regulation doesn’t require trucking companies to report the data to FMCSA; however, the carrier must produce the information when requested by federal, state or local officials.
The following information must be recorded for each accident: date, location, driver name, number of injuries, number of fatalities, and whether certain dangerous hazardous materials were released.
In addition, the motor carrier must maintain copies of all accident reports required by insurers or governmental entities.
Motor carriers must maintain this information for three years after the date of the accident.
“By requiring motor carriers to gather and record information concerning CMV accidents, FMCSA is strengthening its ability to assess the safety performance of motor carriers,” the notice states. “This information is a valuable resource in Agency initiatives to prevent, and reduce the severity of, CMV crashes.”
The public is asked to:
- Comment on any aspect of this information collection, including whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA’s functions.
- Comment on the accuracy of the estimated burden.
- Comment on the ways FMCSA can enhance the quality, usefulness and clarity of the collected information.
- Comment on ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
