NTSB issues safety recs

On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made the following recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• Direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to work in conjunction with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency to develop and implement a process to detect motor carriers that are currently operating non-FMVSS-compliant motorcoaches or other passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles, other than exempted vehicles, in the United States (outside of the commercial zone). When such vehicles are detected, ensure that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has the authority to place such vehicles out of service and require that these motor carriers cease operating those vehicles in commercial interstate passenger service or face revocation of their operating authority. (H-09-29)

The complete recommendation letter is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/H09_29.pdf.

The NTSB also made the following recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Develop, in conjunction with the FMCSA, a Web-based database of FMVSS-compliant passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles that can be utilized by federal, state, and local enforcement inspection personnel to identify non-FMVSS-compliant passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles so that these vehicles (other than exempted vehicles) are placed out of service and cease operating in the United States.

• Implement a process to periodically update this database. (H-09-30) When the database requested in Safety Recommendation H-09-30 is completed, make the database known and accessible to state vehicle registration agencies and to federal, state, and local enforcement inspection personnel for their use during roadside inspections and compliance reviews to identify non-FMVSS-compliant passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles. (H-09-31)

The complete recommendation letter is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/H09_30_31.pdf.

Additionally, the NTSB made a recommendation to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators:

• Assist the International Registration Plan Inc., in developing and distributing to the states and the District of Columbia a model policy for verifying that newly registered passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles are certified as having complied with the appropriate FMVSSs in effect at the time of manufacture, as referenced in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 567. (H-09-44)

The complete recommendation letter is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/H09_44.pdf.