The author of this opinion piece,
I started driving truck in 1992 and became an owner-operator in 1996. By 1999 I moved into trucking with my authority and now manage a 12-truck fleet. Since that time, I’ve been consistently frustrated by enforcement efforts on the highways that penalize the employer when the real solution to reaching safety goals lies in direct driver accountability.
I understand that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is attempting to force the carrier to penalize the driver, but this is a flawed rationale. A terminated driver will be back to work and productive for another carrier in a matter of minutes.
The burden for enforcement and compliance should lie squarely in the hands of the FMCSA. Here’s my modest proposal: For all violations the driver has 100% control over, the FMCSA should consider penalties with real teeth -- enforced downtime.
The current method seems to be to stain the company’s record after inspections or traffic stops via the CSA Safety Measurement System, or during carrier audits. Many such stains – chiefly, those moving violations incurred by drivers -- can't be prevented by carrier personnel other than the drivers. Regulators can talk about the importance of a so-called carrier “safety culture” all they want, but where the rubber hits the road, safety decisions are in the hands of the pilots behind the wheel.
If I’m being honest, I’d say I cannot afford to penalize a driver with a week off work for his or her bad behavior because it penalizes the company as well. But, if the feds force this, then the driver remains and will likely become a better, safer and more conscious driver. Isn’t that the real goal?
When a driver receives a violation for speeding, a third lane violation, improper lane use, unauthorized road, following too close, etc., directly impacting the driver is a far better way to accomplish compliance than the current method. No driver wants to be forced to sit at home for a week or two, unemployable in their field, because they were driving irresponsibly, and it was their decision to do so.
