In a move that could mean safer roads for Louisiana drivers, the Department of Transportation has announced the end of an onerous paperwork requirement for the U.S. trucking industry. Effective Dec. 18, professional truck drivers will no longer have to file pre- and post-trip vehicular inspection reports when no violations are noted during inspection. According to the DOT, approximately 95 percent of all commercial truck inspections result in no safety or maintenance concerns.
A secretary with U.S. Transportation stated that the rule change will save the trucking industry an estimated $1.7 billion annually. He also said it will make U.S. roadways safer by allowing the country’s truck drivers to concentrate on safely delivering goods to businesses instead of wasting countless hours on unnecessary paperwork.
The Federal Motor Safety Administration said that the old rule took up 46.7 million hours of time from professional truck drivers each year, and the vehicle inspection reports were ranked as the 19th-highest in burdensome paperwork for all federal agencies. Dropping no-defect inspection reports is expected to reduce the burden down to rank 79th, making it the most significant paperwork reduction by the Obama Administration.
Professional truck drivers are expected to follow all road safety regulations and laws in order to prevent accidents; however, many crashes are caused due to negligence on the part of truck drivers or the trucking companies they work for. Anyone who has been injured in a tractor trailer accident caused by a negligent truck driver, such as a fatigued truck driver, a drunk truck driver or a distracted truck driver, may benefit from consultation with an attorney. A lawyer could examine police investigation results and the trucking log for evidence of liability, which could result in financial compensation for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Source: OH&S, “DOT Plays Santa, Eliminating Daily Paperwork Requirement for Trucking Industry“, December 19, 2014
