Earlier this month, we learned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) removed key information such as phone numbers and email addresses from the online SAFER System. This action had immediate responses and repercussions within the transportation industry. The FMCSA Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System offers company safety data and related services to the industry and to the public over the Internet. Users can search databases, get a USDOT number, pay fines, order safety profiles, access the Hazardous Route registry, and much more. One key ingredient is the ability to access a carrier’s phone number and contact information, so the industry was on pins and needles when it was suddenly removed this month.
According to the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), “a motor carrier’s phone number is arguably the most vital piece of information available to a 3PL to verify that carrier’s legitimacy. Asking a 3PL to hire a motor carrier without contacting that carrier by phone or email would be like asking a trucker to drive without a steering wheel.” Companies cannot hire carriers if they can’t verify certain information about those carriers. This action had the potential of increasing fraudulent activity, removing vital verification information, lessening the ability of small owner-operators to obtain freight, making the nation’s highways less safe, and increasing liability for companies who hire motor carriers.
AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE:
The TIA responded promptly to it’s members with an urgent call to contact the Deputy Administrator of the FMCSA. The FMCSA held a meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, to decide the fate and the next steps on this controversy. Because of the overwhelming response from TIA members, the voices were heard and it was announced that the information will actually be back online this month.
Sometimes it takes a village and it’s an amazing testament to the power of industry leaders voicing themselves. The 3PL/brokerage industry was heard loud and clear, because of the support of TIA members. It’s more clear now that speaking up can be a successful protocol in the event of future disruptions or changes to Safersys.
ANOTHER SOLUTION:
Aljex Software recently announced the release of an integration with SaferWatch, an advanced motor carrier risk management service. Despite last week’s announcement that FMCA removed phone numbers from the Motor Carrier records, there is no reason to raise the alarm when users have this integration handy. SaferWatch still has all the numbers in it’s carrier database and will continue to have them in the future. The FMCA’s resources are helpful, but Saferwatch has more information that’s easier to use.
When a 3PL broker adds a new carrier to the Aljex system, the new SaferWatch integration imports that carrier’s information and provides a risk-assessment score that’s intuitive and easy to understand. SaferWatch has more advanced criteria than the government’s Safersys scoring system, and it is the industry’s first CSA equivalent to assess carriers using an easy-to-digest number. Aljex’s SaferWatch integration is now available to all Aljex customers and it can be integrated in a matter of days.
