Transportation companies save billions by going paperless

From traffic to flat tires to inclement weather, professional truck drivers have a lot of challenges to contend with on a day-to-day basis. But one of the difficulties of the job could become easier thanks to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who recently introduced a proposal to streamline information management by eliminating the daily paperwork requirements for drivers. 

According to Construction Equipment Guide, the new proposal could help the industry save an estimated $1.7 billion each year while allowing drivers to maintain safety standards and protect public safety. The new plan is part of an ongoing effort by the federal government to remove red tape and eliminate waste across numerous departments. 

"With today's proposal, we are delivering on that pledge, saving business billions of dollars while maintaining our commitment to safety," Foxx said, according to the source. "It's the kind of win-win solution that I hope our department will continue to find over the coming months."

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposal would allow drivers to reduce their paperwork by changing and streamlining the process for submitting Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs). Currently, drivers are required to fill out a DVIR before and after each inspection, but under the new system they would no longer need to complete a paper DVIR unless an equipment issue or problem that required repairs was discovered. 

Construction Equipment Guide noted that DVIRs are the 19th highest paperwork burden across all federal agencies, but only 5 percent of reports filed actually include a defect. By eliminating 95 percent of the paperwork truck drivers deal with on a daily basis, the new FMCSA strategy would lead to the largest reduction of paperwork since President Obama's Executive Order to reduce private sector regulatory burdens was introduced in May 2012. 

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