FMCSA Seeks Input to Revamp Consumer Complaint Database
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The is seeking public input by July 7 about its planned revision to the that handles complaints against unsafe and unscrupulous companies and/or their employees that can include shippers and receivers.
The government plans to modernize the database complaint program while taking into account nearly 2-year-old recommendations from the about potential improvements.
“These recommendations are being implemented to expand and enhance FMCSA’s ability to centralize the collection, monitoring and response to consumer complaints about agency programs,” the agency noted June 6 in a Federal Register notice.
FMCSA's Director of the Office of Registration and Safety Information Kenneth Riddle added that the recommendations would assist FMCSA in creating procedures to give “timely responses” for consumer complaints and share complaint information with the public as well as applicable federal and state agencies.
The NCCDB has provided an online method for handling different types of consumer complaints against motor carriers (large commercial trucking and bus companies as well as moving companies). Grievances can span from driver harassment and moving household goods to financial responsibility, brokers and freight forwarders. Other types of complaints can involve problems with electronic logging devices and entry-level driver training requirements.
The majority of GAO’s 14 suggested changes issued in September 2023 are awaiting action. and its Moving and Storage Conference submitted public comments about the complaint database to FMCSA March 4 that were partly based on GAO recommendations. ATA backed GAO’s suggestions to improve NCCDB functionality to address evolving challenges in the trucking and moving and storage industries such as leveraging data analytics to predict and identify patterns of fraudulent behavior.
ATA also encouraged FMCSA to educate the public about the system.
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“Many consumers remain unaware of their rights or the proper channels for reporting fraudulent or unethical practices, while some in and around the industry do not know it exists,” ATA noted. Another issue is branding because the name NCCDB may create misperceptions since it lacks an obvious connection to trucking and moving-related complaints, ATA added.
FMCSA’s latest request for public input noted the agency would consider ATA’s input since the remarks encouraged changes that take advantage of enhanced technology and system design, add fraud prevention/security measures, simplify processes, and improve data quality and safety.
FMCSA established the NCCDB to receive and manage the handling of complaints about allegations of commercial motor vehicle regulation violations. The complaint database enables FMCSA to identify problematic motor carriers for enforcement actions and ensure its regulations are followed. FMCSA notes on the NCCDB website that it takes about 15 minutes to file a complaint and the contents can be used for research.
Comments are to be made electronically on reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
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