The first phase of the National Consumer Complaint Database’s (NCCDB) modernization effort is now live, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Thursday, calling the update “overdue.”
The NCCDB is a tool that drivers and consumers can access to report violations of federal motor carrier safety regulations, including those related to safety, fraud, and household goods moves.
Specifically, the update will streamline response processes and expand reporting categories, said Transportation Department officials. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration launched the update to also improve navigation and functionality for enhanced user functions for commercial drivers, motor carriers, and consumers.
“This overdue tech upgrade is a win for drivers, carriers, and the driving public,” said Duffy in a statement. “The modernized database will make it easier to file complaints, access digital tools, and empower individuals to speak up about unsafe practices. With your support, we will continue to take bad actors of the roads to keep the American people safe.”
The effort is part of Duffy’s “Pro-Trucker Package,” which he announced in June to “improve the lives of America’s truck drivers” by investing millions of dollars for a range of priorities, including those that would “modernize driver resources.”
According to the Transportation Department, the NCCDB receives thousands of complaints each year. It received around 75,000 between 2017 and 2021.
Modernizing the database is a key recommendation provided to the Transportation Department by the Government Accountability Office, which in 2023 pointed to a need to improve the complaint website by making it more mobile-friendly, using plain language, providing translations, and including user testing.
Transportation officials said that more improvements will be rolled out in the coming months, including additional functionality, performance improvements, and a new name for the database.