Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has received numerous inquiries regarding third-party inspectors offering “safety certifications.”

Please note the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, is the only agency authorized by the United States Congress to issue Federal interstate operating authority registration, to regulate interstate passenger motor carriers, and to determine their eligibility for continued operations.

Passenger motor carriers are subject to a wide range of interventions including compliance reviews, safety audits, and vehicle and driver inspections. Only the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration may terminate a passenger motor carrier's interstate operating authority.

Companies using aggressive marketing tactics to sell “inspections” and “authorized lists” are not sanctioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration nor do they have access to the wide range of resources routinely implemented by trained and authorized inspectors to determine a passenger motor carrier’s safety fitness.

Persons or groups considering bus and motorcoach transportation are encouraged to visit the Web site below for assistance in selecting a passenger motor carrier: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/pcs/Index.aspx

For specific information regarding a passenger motor carrier please visit http://www.safersys.org.

Posted On 12/15/2011