FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro announced a federal grant of more than $2.3 million to improve compliance reviews and safety audits of commercial trucks and buses in North Dakota as well as to implement a new electronic CDL testing system.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol will receive more than $1.96 million alone to conduct the vehicle inspections, including at ports of entry with Canada and neighboring states. The Highway Patrol also conducts inspections of school buses at thes start of each new school year, in partnership with local school districts. But the FMCSA grant falls outside of that non-mandatory program, according to a Highway Patrol spokesman.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson at the North Dakota Department of Transportation confirmed that school bus drivers will be rolled up under the new electronic CDL certification to obtain their “S” endorsement. That system will cost more than $349,000.
As FMCSA announced its grant award in Bismarck, N.D., law enforcement officials throughout the state as well as in South Dakota and Wyoming conducted full bus driver and vehicle safety inspections. The three-state inspection sweep is part of FMCSA’s year-round partnership with the States to bolster commercial bus and driver safety.
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction also requires all school bus drivers to perform daily pre-trip inspections of the vehicle and related equipment, including a “daily walk-around” and an operating inspection. A pre-trip inspection test must also be passed along with a knowledge test and road test before a CDL is awarded.
In addition to FMCSA’s grant and enforcement efforts, the agency also offers a “Think Safety: Every Trip, Every Time” pre-trip safety checklist to help consumers review a bus company’s safety record, safety rating and USDOT operating authority before buying a ticket or hiring a bus company for group travel. The checklist is available online at FMCSA’s Passenger Bus Safety website.
