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March 29, 2000 10:14 AM, EST

Although state personnel conduct roadside safety checks, they are not the only cadre of trucking safety inspectors. The federal government fields a small force, concentrating mostly on reviewing the safety performance of entire trucking fleets by visiting the carrier’s office and poring through the records.

The world changed for federal safety inspectors last April. That’s when their new boss, Julie A. Cirillo, issued a memo ordering them to crack down on carriers in response to criticism that a decline in enforcement had contributed to a 20% increase in truck-related fatalities between 1992 and 1997.

The 200 safety investigators employed by the then Office of Motor Carrier and Highway Safety, which has since been replaced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, were told to double the number of compliance reviews they conduct each month. They were also told to assess higher fines and not to negotiate lower payments ("Cirillo: Trucking Still Needs Outreach," 4-26, p. 1).

Compliance reviews help determine how often a carrier’s trucks face roadside inspections, and contribute significantly to a company’s overall safety rating.

For the full story, see the Mar. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. .