As part of the conclusion to a year and a half long investigation into a fatal truck accident, the National Transportation Safety Board has issued recommendations to nearly 10 groups, including FMCSA and other trucking-related administrations or organizations, regarding measures they can take to improve safety.
The accident in question occurred June 24, 2011 in Miriam, Nev.,at a railroad crossing on U.S. Highway 95. A truck pulling empty side-dump trailers hit an Amtrak passenger train, killing four passengers, the train conductor and the truck driver.
The NTSB began the report then and says it adopted the findings in December 2012.
Along with gathering employment history and giving it to carriers, the NTSB also recommends that FMCSA require carriers to “conduct and document investigations into employment records of prospective drivers for the 10 years that precede the application date” and retrieve records from the driver register.
NTBS cites the accident as an example — along with three other accidents — in which an employer did not make “an informed hiring decision” because it did not have accurate history dating back 10 years and the “commercial driver’s employment and license history was at issue,” says NTBS.
FMCSA has not yet responded to the recommendations. NTSB asked that the agency respond within 90 days.
