WASHINGTON – U.S. truck drivers will no longer have to file pre- and post-trip inspection reports when no safety concerns were identified.

The inspections will still have to be done, but the paperwork burden is being eliminated for the 95% of the time when no faults were found.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced the rule change, effective Dec. 18, saying it is expected to save the trucking industry about $1.7 billion annually without compromising safety.

Foxx said the rule change was in direct response to U.S. President Barack Obama’s call to cut red tape and waste.

“America’s truckers should be able to focus more on getting their goods safely to store shelves, constructions sites or wherever they need to be instead of spending countless hours on unnecessary paperwork that costs the industry nearly $2 billion each year,” he said. “This is a far better way to do business.”

Shaun Donovan, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said ensuring regulatory flexibility for businesses and reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens are top priorities for the Obama administration.

“I commend Secretary Foxx and the Department of Transportation for their work on this effort, which is one of the largest paperwork reduction rules in the last decade,” he said. “We look forward to working with the Department of Transportation and other agencies on ways to further institutionalize retrospective review as an essential component of government regulatory policy.”

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that professional truck drivers spend approximately 46.7 million hours each year completing Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs). Eliminating DVIRs when no safety defects or mechanical deficiencies are identified will result in time savings valued at $1.7 billion dollars annually.

FMCSA acting administrator Scott Darling said the rule change allows drivers to stay focused on their safety and the safety of everyone they share the road with.

“Until now, truck driver vehicle inspection reports were the 19th highest paperwork burden across all federal agencies,” he said. “By scrapping the no-defect inspection reports, the burden is reduced to 79th, marking the most significant paperwork reduction achievement thus far in the Obama Administration.”

In June 2012, FMCSA eliminated a comparable requirement for truck drivers operating intermodal equipment trailers used for transporting containerized cargo shipments. The cost savings to the intermodal industry was estimated to be $54 million annually.

FMCSA’s No-Defect DVIR rule will be effective on the date it is published in the Federal Register, which is scheduled for Dec. 18, 2014.