FMCSA Announces I-81 Multi-State Inspection Blitz At PMTA Conference

The I-81 focused enforcement inspection blitz will be in June, July, & August from TN all the way through NY up to the border.

Did you know that there were over 3,700 collisions on I-81 involving commercial motor vehicles from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee between 2018-2021?

On Thursday April 20, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Division Administrator Chris Henry announced at the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA) annual membership conference that there will be a multi-state inspection blitz this summer along I-81 within these states.

Chris currently holds the position of Division Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Pennsylvania Division Office in New Cumberland which oversees all FMCSA Federal and State Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Programs carried out in the State of Pennsylvania.

You may be aware that there was an inspection blitz on I-81 last year, but this year FMCSA is working with state agencies for several months (not weeks) this summer in a traffic safety program along a heavily traveled interstate highway in the eastern part of the U.S.

[Related: CVSA 2023 International Roadcheck May 16-18 to focus on Cargo Securement and ABS]

The high visibility traffic enforcement and education initiative focuses on promoting good driver behavior and ultimately reducing crashes and fatalities involving large trucks and buses across the country. 

What can professional drivers do to prepare for the blitz?

The goal for the I-81 enforcement effort is to prevent highway fatalities due to commercial motor vehicle collisions.

For commercial motor vehicle drivers:

• Always obey all traffic laws: Wear your seatbelt, obey the speed limit, slow for work zones, and don’t drive distracted,
• Make sure your vehicle is in safe working order, and
• Follow all regulations regarding hours of service, medical certification, and CMV credentialing and driver licensing

These enforcement efforts complement a national campaign run by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Our Roads, Our Safety, which educates all motorists on how to share the road safely. When traveling on our roads, follow these tips:

• Stay out of blind spots. Large trucks and buses have huge blind spots on all four sides.
• Pass safely. Make sure you can see the CMV driver in his or her side view mirror. Signal clearly, and don’t linger in the blind spot. Make sure the truck or bus is visible in your rearview mirror before you pull in front; give it extra space.
• Don’t cut off large vehicles. It takes a large truck traveling at highway speeds the length of two football fields to stop.
• Don’t tailgate. Tailgating a truck or bus puts you in a blind spot. 

How can I stay compliant?

As a Motor Carrier, it is your responsibility to ensure that your drivers are trained properly and that starts with hiring good drivers.

This means you need to take the steps to smoothly manage the compliance requirements in DQ files, new driver on-boarding, driver safety training, drug testing, and more.

CNS knows this is a lot to manage, which is why our DOT Compliance Specialists have developed several DOT Compliance Programs focused on Proactive Safety Management (PSM), a mindset that will ensure your fleet’s safety and compliance is always in order and ahead of the FMCSA.

Our PSM Motor Carrier Program includes:

• ELD management
• Driver Qualification File Management
• New driver on-boarding
• Driver safety meetings
• CSA score management
• Policies and handbooks
• Vehicle maintenance
• and more

You can also stay ahead of the FMCSA by ensuring your drivers comply before sending them out on the road.

We offer many services, but one specifically—DOT Mock Audits—help trucking companies operate with the confidence that they will pass any audits or inspections the FMCSA throws at them.

Basically, in a DOT Mock Audit, we send out a specialist that will conduct an audit in the exact same way a DOT officer would. This can help keep you prepared for any surprise roadside inspection or any future actual DOT audits, and you can be sure that they will happen.

All CNS services are geared toward keeping your trucking company safe and compliant so that you stay on the road and pass all DOT inspections.

For any assistance related to DOT Audits, call (888) 260-9448 or email at info@cnsprotects.com.