2021-03 – Identifying the Motor Carrier Bulletin Update

2021-03 – Identifying the Motor Carrier: In this bulletin, the following guidance is provided: Further Investigation Options If the documents and interview do not clearly provide evidence of the motor carrier, other investigation options available are: • Contact the shipper for the load and inquire who they brokered the load through or who is supposed to pick up the load; however, some shippers simply work through a broker and do not know who will pick up the load. • Ask the driver to call their boss, dispatcher, or safety manager to inquire about the name and USDOT/NSC/CVOR/NIR number. The guidance needs to be updated to address current motor carrier identity theft issues that are rampant in the industry.

What FMCSA is finding is that in many cases involving fraud and identity theft, the “boss, dispatcher or safety manager” are all bogus and in on the scam and/or identity theft. So, the number being called by the driver is to the bogus company. In fact, we had a prime example of this that happened in a State. The State had a “mail carrier” stopped at one of their Ports of Entry for inspection. The inspector suspected something and had the driver call the boss. The “boss” said, “Oh, I forgot to have the driver change the USDOT number, but here is the one to use.” The inspector bought accepted the information and let the driver/vehicle go. During the stop, the inspector actually got in touch with FMCSA’s Special Investigations Unit who told the inspector to hold the vehicle until verification with the United States Postal Service (USPS) could be made. However, the driver and vehicle were let go before USPS got back to FMCSA and confirmed that the trailer full of mail destined for Florida had been stolen and the carrier was unknown. This is a prime example as to why the inspection bulletin should be updated to include instructions and/or warnings alerting the inspector to motor carrier fraud and identity theft. I understand that there are a number of other ways to verify, and that they are covered earlier in the bulletin, but that one statement: "Ask the driver to call their boss, dispatcher, or safety manager to inquire about the name and USDOT/NSC/CVOR/NIR number", misleads the inspector to trust the information provided by the driver from a phone call.

I request that an ad hoc group be formed to review and update the guidance provided in Inspection Bulletin 2021-03 – Identifying the Motor Carrier. FMCSA would like to be included in the ad hoc group, and the contact for that group will be Paul Bomgardner, Chief, HM Division.