The American Trucking Associations (ATA) has petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to amend its safety regulations to promote greater motor carrier use of employer notification systems.
Employer notification systems is a term for programs that allow trucking companies to register their drivers with state licensing agencies which, in turn, notify the trucking company when a truck driver receives a traffic violation, conviction or change in commercial driver’s license status. This notification process allows trucking companies to take timely action to address any unsafe driving behaviors, according to ATA.
Currently, motor carriers obtain and review the motor vehicle record of each of the drivers it employs through semi-annual or annual motor vehicle record (MVR) checks. In the months between these MVR checks, commercial drivers are required to self-report traffic violations, convictions, or license status changes to their employer. The self-reports are not always made by some drivers, ATA said.