Several prominent trucking industry groups are urging the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to overhaul its National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB), citing widespread dissatisfaction with its effectiveness and accessibility. The push for reform comes amid growing concerns about cargo theft, freight fraud, and the system’s overall utility for truck drivers and motor carriers.
The NCCDB was created as a public tool for reporting issues like broker misconduct, driver coercion, and unsafe practices. However, critics argue that it falls short in responding to reports and fails to reflect the real needs of the trucking community. Leading the call for change is the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), joined by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Truck Safety Coalition, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, and the Small Business in Transportation Coalition.
Lewie Pugh, Executive Vice President of OOIDA, testified before both the Senate and House subcommittees earlier this year. He described the NCCDB as ineffective, stating that truckers rarely receive responses after filing complaints. “The lack of response from FMCSA discourages truckers from using the NCCDB to submit cases,” Pugh noted. This has led to an underreporting of fraud cases, further limiting the FMCSA’s understanding of the problem’s scale.
In addition to procedural criticisms, OOIDA proposed a rebranding of the database to better reflect its purpose. Pugh suggested renaming it the “Truck Safety and Compliance Hotline” to encourage greater usage among truckers and improve clarity about its function.
ATA echoed these concerns in recent comments to FMCSA. The organization recommended enhanced education and promotional efforts to improve awareness and engagement with the NCCDB. ATA emphasized that the current name, “National Consumer Complaint Database,” does not clearly signal its relevance to the trucking and freight industries.
A 2023 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) further confirmed the database’s shortcomings. The GAO made 14 recommendations aimed at increasing the NCCDB’s transparency and usefulness, but noted that FMCSA has not prioritized the tool, nor implemented federal best practices in its design or risk response protocols.
The Truck Safety Coalition was particularly critical of the GAO’s findings, calling it “deeply disturbing” that the only public-facing tool available to support FMCSA’s enforcement activities has been largely neglected. They stressed that this inaction undermines both accountability and safety efforts.
With multiple industry groups and government watchdogs now aligned in their criticisms, the FMCSA faces mounting pressure to revamp the NCCDB into a more effective, transparent, and user-friendly system that truly supports trucking safety and compliance.
Source:
https://landline.media/complaint-database-needs-overhaul-trucking-groups-tell-fmcsa/?
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