Cargo Tank Trucks: Improved Incident Data and Regulatory Analysis Would Better Inform Decisions about Safety Risks.

摘要

Cargo tank trucks deliver gasoline and other flammable liquids daily for consumer use. Trucks are loaded and unloaded through external bottom lines that, after loading, may contain up to 50 gallons of liquid and are known as 'wetlines.' Concerns have been raised about the safety of wetlines, since a collision may rupture them, releasing flammable liquid and possibly causing fatalities and property damage. PHMSA is responsible for regulating the safe transportation of hazardous materials and has proposed rules prohibiting the transport of flammable liquids in wetlines. In 2012, The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act required GAO to examine this issue. This report discusses (1) the extent that PHMSA's data reliably identify wetline safety risks, (2) options for addressing wetline safety risks, and (3) how well PHMSA has assessed the costs and benefits of addressing these risks through regulation. GAO analyzed PHMSA's wetline incident data for 1999 to 2011, reviewed PHMSA's regulatory cost-benefit analyses, and interviewed agency officials and industry and safety stakeholders.