Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on three safety audits the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety (BMCS) performed at a trucking firm, focusing on the: (1) quality of the safety audits; (2) reason for the transfer of the principal safety investigator assigned to the three audits; and (3) extent of the investigation of the allegations posed by a former employee of the trucking firm made to BMCS and the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG).
GAO found that: (1) BMCS felt that it was difficult to evaluate a completed audit, since no enforcement action was taken and the information in the audits was limited; (2) limited evidence and conflicting statements made it difficult to determine the actual reason for the safety investigator's transfer; and (3) OIG did not formally investigate the trucking firm's former employee's allegations concerning the quality of the audits, but referred the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), since the employee alleged that bribery of a public official was involved; and (4) the Department of Justice declined to prosecute the case, based on the FBI information.
