FMCSA Holds Safety Summit
Posted on Thu, Sep 29, 2011 @ 03:36 PM
The motor coach safety summit has officially kicked off as of September 23rd. The summit was started in coordination with the launch of the Passenger Carrier Strike Force. The strike force is a two-week inspection sweep that will continue through Oct. 7, 2011. “Federal, state, and local police began conducting thousands of surprise safety inspections of motor coaches, tour buses, school buses, and other passenger vehicles across the country”, reports the Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) website. The FMCSA sponsored summit was kicked off in Washington D.C. last week.
Roadside motor coach inspections have nearly doubled in the past 5 years, from 12,991 to 25,705. Also, compliance reviews more than doubled from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010. The goal is to make safety the number one concern when it comes to passenger vehicles. FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro said, "With the robust feedback, ideas, and partnerships developed at this summit, we will be better equipped to raise the safety bar and safety culture within the motor coach industry. The public deserves no less." Congress is also being involved in the strides toward better safety for the motor coach industry. They have been asked to approve a new procedure that would allow FMCSA to conduct bus safety inspections at en route locations such as rest stops, and to require new motor coach companies to undergo a full safety audit before receiving operating authority. With these new objectives, the FMCSA is sure to make the motor coach industry much safer over the next few years.
Safety pays at Area Transportation! Drivers with low CSA scores will see a boost in pay. Learn more about our new pay program.