Truck Accident Prevention: Will safety be impacted by the new government proposal that requires truck drivers to file a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report only if defects or deficiencies are discovered during pre and post trip inspections?

To prevent truck accidents and protect public safety, truck drivers are required by law to conduct pre and post trip inspections and to file a Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) after each inspection whether or not an issue requiring repairs is identified. The US Department of Transportation wants to change this rule and have truck drivers required to file a DVIR only if a defect or issue is found during the inspection.

DVIRs are daily lengthy paperwork for truck drivers and only 5% of them are reporting an issue. The Obama administration believes that a defect-only reporting system may lead to $1.7 billion in savings annually while not adversely impacting safety.

What do you think? Would truck drivers continue to diligently inspect their truck before and after a trip if they wouldn’t have to file a report or would this new proposal open the door to negligent behavior and increase truck accidents?