Throughout each year, motor carrier safety officials carry out inspections on interstate trucks and drivers.
Vehicles can be placed “out of service” when, by reason of its mechanical condition or loading, they would likely cause an accident or breakdown.
Drivers can be placed out of service for violating the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Hours-Of-Service regulations. These place specific limits on the amount of time a driver can drive a commercial motor vehicle, and how many total hours a driver can work each day and each week.
The top 10 states with the highest out-of-service rates for interstate trucks last year were, in order:
- Nebraska
- Connecticut
- Utah
- Colorado
- Missouri
- Arizona
- Idaho
- Delaware
- Louisiana
- Wyoming
The top 10 states with the highest out-of-service rates for drivers, in order, were:
- Oregon
- Connecticut
- Arizona
- Wyoming
- Utah
- Minnesota
- Idaho
- Georgia
- Maine
- Arkansas
What I’m curious about is: Are these states more aggressive in their inspection of vehicles and drivers, or are fleets that operate and through these states paying less attention to vehicle maintenance?
I welcome your thoughts and comments.