Reminder: FMCSA Pre-trip/Post-trip Inspection Changes Took Effect in December

In early December, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced changes to pre-trip and post-trip inspections that drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) are required to perform. Effective December 18, 2014, drivers of property-carrying CMVs, such as ready mixed concrete mixer truck drivers, will no longer need to file pre-trip or post-trip inspection reports if those inspections do not turn up any "equipment issues or safety concerns". The change comes as part of a 2011 Executive Order from President Obama directing federal regulatory agencies to "reduce out-of-date, ineffective or overly-burdensome rules on the private sector." According to U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, the change is estimated to save "the trucking industry an estimated $1.7 billion annually without compromising safety."