The requirement that drivers file a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report in which no defects were found with the truck and trailer is seeing its last days: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued this week a proposed rule that would eliminate the requirement and, according to the Department of Transportation, save the trucking industry $1.7 billion a year in paperwork costs.
The current rule on driver inspections requires drivers to perform both a pre- and post-trip inspection on their equipment and file a DVIR for each inspection. Under the new rule, drivers will still be required to perform both inspections, but will not be required to submit a report for those in which no defects are found.
“We can better focus on the 5 percent of problematic truck inspection reports by eliminating the 95 percent that report the status quo,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro.”
The agency is accepting public comment on the rule until Sept. 3. FMCSA rescinded in 2012 the requirement of intermodal haulers to file no-defect DVIR.
The rule proposed this week as largely expected and had been included in upcoming rules section of the Department of Transportation’s semi-annual report issued last month.
Click here to view the proposed rule.
