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Motor Carrier Safety: Preliminary Information on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Efforts to Identify and Follow Up with High-risk Carriers

GAO-07-1074T Published: Jul 11, 2007. Publicly Released: Jul 11, 2007.
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Highlights

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has the primary federal responsibility for reducing crashes involving large trucks and buses. FMCSA uses its "SafeStat" tool to select carriers for reviews for compliance with its safety regulations based on the carriers' crash rates and prior safety violations. FMCSA then conducts these compliance reviews and can place carriers out of service if they are found to be operating unsafely. This statement is based on a recent report (GAO-07-585) and other nearly completed work. GAO assessed (1) the extent to which FMCSA identifies carriers that subsequently have high crash rates, (2) how FMCSA ensures that its compliance reviews are conducted thoroughly and consistently, and (3) the extent to which FMCSA follows up with carriers with serious safety violations. GAO's work was based on a review of laws, program guidance, and analyses of data from 2004 through early 2006.

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Accident preventionAccidentsAutomated risk assessmentComparative analysisData collectionData integrityEvaluation methodsInternal controlsMotor carriersMotor vehicle safetyProgram evaluationRisk managementSafety regulationSafety standardsSystems evaluationTraffic accidentsPolicies and procedures