According to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) should enhance the transparency of its complaint database to better serve truck drivers. The audit found that not all categories of complaint data are currently accessible to the public, which goes against U.S. Department of Transportation policy.
“Specifically, FMCSA does not make public any information on complaints against truck companies, bus companies, or electronic logging device providers,” the 60-page report states. “As a result, FMCSA may be missing the opportunity to improve transparency and collaboration with industry partners.”
According to officials from the FMCSA, the agency has not prioritized making the information public.
“FMCSA officials said that they have no current plans to make all categories of complaint data public but may consider doing so in the future. But GAO recommends FMCSA change that stance. Recommendation 1 — among 14 in the report — is that the FMCSA administrator “make data on all categories of complaints available to the public, as appropriate, and in line with DOT’s Data Management Policy.”
During its audit from April 2022 to September 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed complaints that were submitted between January 2016 and December 2021. Out of those complaints, approximately 37,700 were against truck companies, 29,400 were against moving companies and moving brokers, and 200 were against bus companies.
The audit revealed that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had provided specific internal guidance to its staff on how to review and respond to certain types of complaints. However, this guidance was lacking for other categories of complaints. For example, the FMCSA offered supplemental guidance on coercion and harassment complaints made by drivers against trucking companies. This included specific examples of what elements a complaint must include in order to be considered coercion or harassment.
“In contrast, the complaint review guidance for safety, hazardous materials, household goods, and other commercial complaints does not contain step-by-step instructions on how to respond, review, and close complaints,” according to GAO.
Improving Trucker Outreach: GAO Identifies Flaws
Effective outreach is crucial for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to maintain a valuable database, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). However, the GAO found that FMCSA’s outreach efforts varied depending on the target audience. The general public, particularly those planning to use household movers, received more outreach compared to commercial truck drivers.
Surprisingly, key trucking associations, such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the Truckload Carriers Association, were unaware of FMCSA’s efforts to promote its complaint website, as revealed by interviews conducted by the GAO.
“These representatives said they hear from truck drivers about incidents that could be reported to the complaint website, giving examples such as employers coercing drivers to exceed the hours-of-service limit and not addressing workplace safety concerns,” GAO stated.
In response, FMCSA officials told GAO that the focus on its household goods program “is in line with the priorities and direction of FMCSA leadership,” and that the $4 million in funding available each fiscal year for outreach and education “must also be used for other programs and initiatives.”
GAO’s investigation revealed that the complaint website is not user-friendly on mobile devices, which is a critical concern since it is deemed vital by trucking industry representatives for truck drivers.
Agency Resists External User Testing
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) claims that its current internal testing and user surveys provide enough feedback for its needs. The GAO suggests, however, that FMCSA could gain valuable insights into real-world user needs by conducting testing with truck drivers and other industry professionals. This recommendation is the only one that FMCSA disputes, arguing that conducting external user testing is not a sustainable approach.
“FMCSA further stated it plans to modernize the complaint website to ensure it follows industry standards for design and integrates user feedback,” GAO noted.
While GAO acknowledged that modernizing would be a good first step, “we maintain that testing the website with external users — a leading practice for federal websites — would provide FMCSA with critical insight on how useful the website is for its target audiences before launching any changes to the complaint website,” the audit stated.
Source: FreightWaves
