US DoT launches biometric trucker registry with Idemia technology

The U.S. government will require all truck drivers, motor-coach operators and other transport carriers to register in a system that uses face biometrics to crack down on fraud in the transportation industry.

American truckers will register to the Motus system to replace a network of loosely connected registration applications, according to the announcement from Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator (FMCSA) Derek D. Barrs. This allowed malicious actors to hide their identities when applying for federal trucking registration numbers, resulting in several thousand registration tied to fraudulent carriers, they say. Specifically, Motus replaces the FMCSA Portal and the Unified Registration System.

Motus performs identity verification through Login.gov or uploaded government IDs and face biometric comparisons, plus third-party business validation. The application also uses data analytics to detect fraud. Idemia Public Security handles the biometrics for carrier registrations, while Thomson Reuters CLEAR provides the data analytics for business verification, Federal Register documentation shows. Identity verification data is also pushed to the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse online database to identify commercial drivers who have been barred from the position due to intoxicated driving violations.

The old process allowed truckers to register with only a name, email address and physical address. This allowed drivers and companies alike to escape the consequences of fraud or bad driving by simply creating new carrier or corporate identities, the Department of Transportation says.

“FMCSA’s registration modernization effort represents a major advancement in how the agency oversees and supports the commercial motor vehicle industry,” says FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs in the announcement. “This system improves efficiency for legitimate carriers while strengthening FMCSA’s ability to detect fraud, improve data quality, and identify unsafe operators.”

Fifty thousand carriers registered with Motus within days of its Tuesday launch, FedScoop reports.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  Idemia Public Security  |  identity verification  |  Login.gov  |  Thomson Reuters  |  transportation  |  U.S. Government