A weak link in the national truck safety program is the inability of one state to check the status of a trucking company in another state. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a long-term project to close this gap
by helping states link their computer systems to exchange information.

The program has enjoyed some success, but not enough states participate to prove that it is effective, reports the Government Accountability Office.

The 25 states that use Performance and Registration Information Systems Management, or PRISM, as the program is called, are able to keep carriers that have been placed out of service from obtaining or keeping registrations. But the overall impact of the $5 million program is hard to measure because not enough states participate, the GAO said.

PRISM is voluntary and most states have said they want to do it, but the program can be difficult to implement. In some states, for example, the legislature must pass a law before the program can be adopted. The average amount of time for a state to get up to speed in the program is three years and four months, GAO reported. Some suggest that Congress require compliance but GAO is not recommending that approach because it would create an unfunded federal mandate.

Instead, the watchdog agency is recommending that FMCSA wait until more states are up to speed and then take another look at the program's effectiveness.