The June 2012 Roadcheck results are out and they showed that more than 1 in every 5 trucks inspected were placed out of service (OOS). That means the trucks were taken off the road as unsafe, even though this was a pre-announced inspection.

The trucking industry knew about Roadcheck for months, as did I, and I have blogged multiple times on the subject. Since the inspection is announced months in advance the real numbers of unsafe trucks are much higher.

Some of the inspection results are scary, but not surprising. For example 15% of the OOS violations were for false log books. False log books are used so that drivers can drive more hours than legally allowed. False logs also result in fatigue related crashes, one of the largest causes of highway deaths in America. Some studies have shown almost one in three fatal crashes has a fatigue component.

I have blogged about Roadcheck for years and the known dangers it exposes in the trucking industry. When one out of five trucks is unsafe on an announced inspection, the trucking industry as a whole can be said to ignore safety on a daily basis.

Why aren’t government officials more upset about this horrible fact? Why do they accept it year after year? Makes you think long and hard about the revolving door between the DOT, FMCSA, and the trucking industry doesn’t it? 

Source: Transportation Topics, August 20, 2012, P3