Annual Inspections (396.17)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require that commercial motor vehicles be inspected at least annually. An inspection report must be completed which identifies the qualified inspector, motor carrier, date of inspection, identification of the vehicle, and the components inspected, including the identification of components that do not meet the minimum standards. The inspection report must certify the accuracy and completeness of the inspection as complying with all the requirements. The original or a copy of the report must be retained by the motor carrier, or other entity that is responsible for the inspection, for a period of 14 months from the date of the inspection. A copy must be retained where the vehicle is housed or maintained. The following inspection programs meet the above requirements:
UNITED STATES
Mandatory
Alabama
California
Connecticut
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
District of Columbia
Voluntary
Arkansas
Illinois
Oklahoma
CANADA
All Canadian Provinces
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon Territory
TRUCK ACCIDENTS ON FREEWAY RAMPS
Bruce N. Janson, et al., at the University of Colorado at Denver, studied accident frequency rates for trucks on freeway ramps. The study found that nationally about 20-30% of truck accidents on freeways occur on or near ramps. They state that although most accidents are precipitated by driver error, "inadequate interchange designs for large truck operations may contribute to some of them, along with insufficient safety warnings to truck operators at certain locations. Many freeway ramps throughout the United States were designed for older truck configurations and not for longer combination vehicles carrying much greater weight.” A previous study found that the 1990 American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials design standards may provide a greater margin of safety compared to those even four years earlier, in 1986. Currently, there are many different types of ramps in existence (diamond, loop, etc.). The research was not designed to offer predictive equations of truck accidents based on geometric or traffic characteristics, but rather, to "flag" accident-prone ramps for further investigation. Significant findings include 1) sideswipe accidents are most prevalent for all ramp types; 2) rollover accidents are most likely to occur at loop off-ramps; 3) accidents frequently occur at junctions of multiple ramps; 4) accidents that occur on ramps away from freeway lanes occur more frequently on off-ramps than on on-ramps. The study also found that traffic volume affects truck accident frequency on the ramps more so than in the upstream or downstream areas (before and after the ramp, respectively).
The study brings up good points for design standards and road planners, as well as some things that carriers should do, such as ensure that drivers understand the dangers of these areas, obey all speed limit signs and merge with extreme caution to prevent rollovers and sideswipes (mirrors and electronic detection devices may help with the sideswipe hazard), and when doing an accident investigation, pay particular attention to whether the accident was near a ramp(drivers should take pictures of the entire area and investigators should take the ramp design into consideration).