The U.S. Department of Transportation no longer requires trucking companies to keep all of its equipment inspection reports – only those that reveal a defect. The government estimates this will save the trucking industry about $1.7 billion per year, ranking it as one of the Administration’s biggest cost cutting savings to small business.
According to the DOT, the inspection reports are the 19th highest paperwork burden imposed by the federal government, based on the number of hours it takes to comply. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne Ferro said the rule change could help her agency zero in on problems, “We can focus better on the five percent of problematic truck inspection reports by eliminating the 95 percent that report the status quo.”
