DOT Conducts Surprise Safety Inspections to Boost Bus Safety

Over 400 unsafe buses or drivers were removed from the nation’s roadways as a result of more than 3,000 surprise passenger carrier safety inspections over a two-week period in May, according to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and its state and local law enforcement partners conducted the inspections.

The strike force issued out-of-service citations to 127 drivers and 315 vehicles during the unannounced inspections that took place from May 1 – 15.

In addition to the strike force inspections, FMCSA and state safety investigators initiated 38 full safety compliance reviews on commercial passenger bus companies. These reviews determine a passenger carrier’s safety rating.

Over the past five years, FMCSA has doubled the number of unannounced bus safety inspections and comprehensive safety reviews of the nation’s estimated 4,000 passenger bus companies.

Roadside safety inspections of motorcoaches jumped from 12,991 in 2005 to 25,703 in 2010, while compliance reviews rose from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010.

Source: Department of Transportation