Va. ends duplicate truck inspections

Va. ends duplicate truck inspections    UPS Freight plans to register 300 new trucks in Virginia this summer after the state eliminated the need for trucks that meet federal standards for annual inspections to obtain a second, identical inspection in the commonwealth.
   Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation streamlining the state’s inspection requirements in an effort to attract motor carriers to title and register their trucks within the state.
   The state essentially agreed to mutually recognize Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules regarding annual inspections on trucks engaged in interstate commerce as equivalent to its own safety laws. Under FMCSA standards, truckers can obtain inspections from third parties, roadside inspections by law enforcement authorities that participate in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, and periodic state inspection programs. Compliant companies are also allowed to self-inspect their vehicles.
   The new Virginia requirement, which went into effect immediately, means trucks that have a valid inspection meeting FMCSA standards do not have to stop at a Virginia inspection station once a year or display a Virginia inspection sticker.

Connaughton

   The new arrangement was worked out by Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton and Secretary of Public Safety Marla Decker.
   “Virginia prides itself on being a business-friendly state,” Connaughton said in a news release. “As a result of the commonwealth’s adoption of the federal safety inspection requirements together with existing benefits such as permanent plates, an electronic renewal system and no sales and use tax on the purchase of trucks and trailers over 26,000 pounds, companies will be more inclined to select Virginia for vehicle titling and registration needs.”
   Under an international agreement between states and most Canadian provinces, trucking companies such as UPS can get all of their registration requirements for other states processed through their base state. ' Eric Kulisch