FMCSA seeks to improve complaint process for drivers, brokers

From Freight Waves.

Federal regulators say they are improving a system created for truckers to register complaints of harassment and coercion by carriers and shippers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Tuesday revealed it was improving the experience for drivers and brokers who want to log complaints against “unsafe and unscrupulous companies and/or their employees” such as shippers, receivers and transportation intermediaries, into the agency’s National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB).

The changes were noted in a renewal of an information collection request that FMCSA plans to submit to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval, after a 30-day comment period.

The agency wants to renew its information collection “so FMCSA can use this data to take enforcement action, better inform FMCSA policies for safer motor carrier operations, and improve consumer protection,” it stated.

FMCSA received just four comments when it announced plans last year to improve the database. However, one was from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and another was from the Transportation Intermediaries Association — two major industry groups that feel the database has not been addressing major issues that they say adversely affect safety.

“As currently administered, the NCCDB is an inadequate outlet for drivers to report harassment, coercion, and other violations of commercial regulations,” OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer stated in comments filed in November.

“Typically, drivers do not receive a satisfactory response level when they call the NCCDB hotline or submit their problem via the online portal. Additionally, there is insufficient follow-up with drivers after they file a complaint. The lack of response from FMCSA results in many unresolved complaints and also discourages drivers from using the NCCDB to report unsafe practices.”

See the complete article online at Freight Waves.