Committee Hears Concerns of Small Businesses Regarding Possible Flaws in the Federal Trucking Safety Program

Press Release

The House Small Business Committee, led by Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), today held a hearing to examine the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program and its effects on small businesses. The hearing was titled, Is FMCSA's CSA Program Driving Small Businesses Off the Road?

"Hearing directly from small business owners like we did today is always a real benefit," said Chairman Graves. "Most trucking businesses are small fleets of fewer than 20 trucks. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has an important safety function, but the agency has failed to acknowledge and address serious problems with the new system that publicly identifies carriers as unsafe. Small trucking companies and independent analysts have raised legitimate concerns that the flawed system results in carriers being incorrectly designated as unsafe, which may jeopardize a small trucking firm's future by increasing insurance rates or causing it to lose business. We want this program to accurately identify unsafe carriers, and treat small firms fairly."

The CSA is the federal government's primary tool to improve commercial motor vehicle safety. Since the program's start in 2010, a number of small businesses in the highway commercial freight industry have questioned the overall accuracy of the government safety enforcement program and expressed concerns about its negative impact on small businesses. Some small trucking businesses insist that possible flaws in the program's methodology may inaccurately identify motor carriers as unsafe, causing adverse consequences such as lost business and increased insurance rates. The Committee heard directly from small business owners, and expert testimony on the program.

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