IANA, FMCSA release paperless roadability compliance tool

   The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) this week announced a pilot program undertaken in collaboration with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), aimed at improving lag times between the issuance of a roadside inspection report to a driver and delivery of the report to intermodal equipment providers and motor carriers.
   The technology, accessed through a Web portal, provides a notification that a Driver Vehicle Examination Report (DVER) has been issued, as well as electronic access to the “physical” Intermodal Equipment Provider Report, page 2 of the DVER. The system was launched at IANA’s Intermodal Expo in Houston this week.
   “This paperless roadability compliance tool was developed in record time and with considerable cooperation between FMCSA and IANA,” said Joni Casey, president and chief executive officer of IANA. “It’s exciting to think what this program could mean for future applications, in terms of paperless roadside document transmittals.”
   The system is designed to eliminate the DVER delivery process breakdown that occurs within the intermodal industry. Legally, drivers are required to supply a copy of citations to both carriers and intermodal equipment providers, ideally occurring within 24 hours of receipt. More often than not, hard-copy reports remain undelivered, making it difficult for equipment providers to meet the 15-day deadline for fixing any equipment deficiencies. The new DVER Service promptly notifies equipment providers and carriers of equipment violations by providing e-mail delivery of the Vehicle No. 2 intermodal chassis citation in PDF format, complete with notes from the roadside inspector. The system also features a Web portal for management and storage of these reports.
   Participation in the DVER Service is being offered at no-charge to IANA’s equipment provider members that are a part of the Global Intermodal Equipment Registry (GIER) and to carriers that use the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Access Agreement (UIIA), administered by IANA.