|
7/03/2006 Inspections 2010
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, recently solicited “comments, suggestions and creative ideas” for a project which could revolutionize the current, cumbersome, safety inspection process.
As envisioned by FMCSA planners, the roadside commercial vehicle safety inspection process would become almost fully automated, making use of new sensor, wireless, and on-board diagnostic technologies. As the FMCSA noted in its Notice of request for information, RFI: “Greater automation has the potential to improve the quality of inspections, increase the number of vehicles screened and inspected, and/or enable faster inspections, resulting in improved effectiveness, efficiency, and most of all safety.”
Some of the ideas and concepts sound truly futuristic. But all are technologically feasible today. For example, consider one of the options presented by the FMCSA: “Utilize on-board vehicle sensors to monitor brake wear, tire pressure, and other critical parameters. Also, electronically identify the driver CDL information using smart cards/readers and electronically coded U.S. DOT and license numbers. Combine all electronic information (vehicle health, CDL, and carrier identifier data) to form a “safety data message set” that could be wirelessly transmitted from the vehicle to a fixed or mobile roadside inspection station, or other locations as needed.”
In other words, a good part of the safety inspection could already have been completed before a truck even pulls to a full stop at an inspection site. The driver’s log information, medical certificate status, and CDL status would all be available for immediate display to an inspector. Vehicle information and the compliance status of specific vehicle systems, brakes, tires, lights, etc would also have been transmitted ahead of the vehicle. Vehicle weight would be monitored using in road equipment (WIM – weight in motion) and correlated with identifier data. Carrier safety data and credentialing information (insurance, fuel and other tax data, trip permits, etc.) would also be called up from a database linked through the motor carrier’s DOT number.
The project falls under the DOTs Intelligent Transportation Systems Program, ITS. The goal is to speed up the inspection process and to focus inspections more on problem carriers.
While the technology for such a system presently exists, a number of hurdles must be overcome before it can be implemented. Privacy and security of the transmitted data is an important consideration since it will contain personal driver information such as medical restrictions, violation history, etc. The accuracy of both vehicle specific and driver specific data must also be insured. Such data must be tamperproof. Enforcement agencies will be leery of accepting as truthful, any data that is subject to manipulation or falsification.
Cost will of course also be a factor. For motor carriers operating large fleets the initial costs of equipping vehicles with the necessary electronics might be substantial but could very well be offset by two factors. First, time spent during inspections will be significantly decreased allowing drivers to get back on the road much more quickly than under the current inspection process. Second, motor carriers with excellent performance histories can expect fewer inspections, since one of the goals of automating the system is to focus inspections on problem carriers and drivers.
For the individual owner-operator, or small fleet motor carrier, the investment in new equipment is likely to be more problematic. One of the items in the FMCSAs request for information involved possible strategies and incentives that might be used to encourage smaller operations to participate in the new system.
Foley Services Inc., offers a variety of products that will assist you in maintaining the records that inspectors will want to examine during roadside inspections. Driver’s log books and Daily Driver’s Inspection Reports help insure that your drivers have the required paperwork to present during a compliance inspection. The Vehicle Maintenance File Module and Hours of Service Module, two components of the patented Foley Integrated Compliance System, FICS, will help you meet the ongoing requirements for inspecting and maintaining your vehicles and insure that you and your drivers are compliant with the latest Hours of Service regulations.
|
