Limitation of Twelve (12) Characters in the Inspection Report Form Fields in MCMIS and SAFETYNET

The limitation of twelve (12) characters in the Inspection Report form fields in MCMIS and SAFETYNET are not adequate in length for inspection reports that will be generated by the next version of TraCS inspection software. We request an inspection report number field that will allow (but not require) up to twenty (20) characters.

Iowa computer systems have migrated to a numbering system for traffic citations and inspection report forms which no longer depends on human intervention to correctly set machine numbers and form sequence numbers. This is essential for traffic citations generated in TraCS. As more states move to electronic traffic citations I think they may also find the same issue and desire the option for a longer report number for both citations and inspections. TraCS uses one numbering system for all forms which are assigned a unique number. Therefore, if a 20 digit number is used to never replicate the same number on the traffic citation, inspections are also assigned a 20 digit number. For now we have a work-around in the version of TraCS currently being used. However, we are migrating to a new, completely rewritten, version of TraCS in 2010 and will no longer have that work around available to us.

Request the Inspection Report number field used in MCMIS and related federal software be increased from a maximum of twelve (12) characters to allow a maximum of twenty (20) characters.