Many governmental agencies and school districts have been introducing new requirements mandating third-party safety reviews before doing business with bus or motorcoach companies.
This is a reasonable decision and a plausible safeguard from any misleading salesmen, but last year the United Motorcoach Association wrote to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro with concerns regarding the use of private companies to do paid inspections on motorchoach businesses and bus fleets.
At the time, the UMA said in their letter, “Despite the longstanding policy of federal preemption, many public schools today are increasingly relying on third-party providers to replicate the three basic functions of the FCMSA – standard-setting, inspection, and certification.”
Now, Ferro and FMCSA have released their response, stating, “inspections purport to offer ‘safety certifications’ the FMCSA has sole authority to issue federal interstate operating authority registration, to regulate interstate passenger motor carriers, and to determine their eligibility for continued operation in interstate commerce. […] Public schools are fully entitled to contract with passenger motor carriers of their choosing.”
In the end, it is always a viable option to have a fleet service inspected by a third-party before you decide to proceed with business, but they aren’t considered an industry standard by any means. The American Bus Association reminds, “not having a third party inspection should not mean or imply that a company is unsafe. The final determination as to a company’s fitness to operate is made by FMCSA.”
