The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched a new Web page that improves free public access to orders and decisions on FMCSA civil penalty and safety rating cases. The Web page also provides frequently asked questions intended to help parties understand FMCSA's process for making these legal determinations.

"Placing our agency's decisions online and making them easily searchable helps to fulfill President Obama's promise of transparency and open government," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "More access to information and resources will help regulated industry members and drivers understand FMCSA's compliance and enforcement process."

Until now, FMCSA's civil penalty and safety rating cases were available only by going to www.regulations.gov or through paid private-sector legal research websites. Now, members of the public can search the full text of hundreds of orders and decisions in cases where motor carriers have contested violations and penalties issued by FMCSA.

The new FMCSA Web page includes decisions dated from 2009 to the present that can be sorted by carrier name, case type, docket number and order title. FMCSA will add new decisions once they become final.

In addition, the Web page includes links for online Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as links to applicable statutes and regulations and other helpful resources on the functions of FMCSA's Office of Chief Counsel.