U.S. Department of Transportation Special Agents

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet-level department of the U.S. government. It is the mission of the DOT to ensure a safe, convenient and efficient transportation system that encompasses vehicles on the roads, boats on certain water-ways, trains on tracks, and planes in the sky. The DOT was created by Congressional act in 1966 and began operations in 1967.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the DOT is tasked with protecting its parent agency from instances of fraud, waste, and abuse. Special agents of the OIG investigate allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse. Special agents duly sworn federal law enforcement officers empowered to investigate violations of federal law, carry weapons, conduct audits, arrest violators, conduct searches, conduct arrests, and gather evidence.

Investigations typically undertaken by the OIG of the DOT include safety investigations, contract / grant fraud, and matters of employee integrity.

Safety investigations include aviation, motor carrier, and hazardous materials investigations. Aviation investigations include counterfeit or substandard parts, falsified or fraudulent aircraft maintenance records, and falsified or fraudulent pilot and mechanic licensing records. Motor carrier investigations include falsified or fraudulent driver's hour's logs, fraudulently obtained driver's licenses, falsified or fraudulent maintenance records, and driver testing fraud in the areas of drug and alcohol abuse.

Hazardous materials investigations include illegal or undeclared hazardous material shipments.

Contract / grant fraud investigations include acts of bribery, corruption, contract bid rigging, making false claims, over charging for labor or materials, etc. This detachment of the OIG is also responsible for educating members of the public and government officials on fraud awareness and how to combat fraud and abuses of the system.

Employee integrity investigations are just as they sound. They are investigations into the integrity of DOT employees. Allegations that may initiate an employee integrity investigation include time / attendance fraud, travel voucher fraud, and misuse of government funds. Conflicts of interest may also be investigated by the Office of the Inspector General.

Internal attempts to defraud the DOT by employees are investigated as employee integrity cases. Attempts by third party contractors to defraud the DOT are treated as contract / grant fraud.

Sources:

OIG Investigative Priorities. Office of the Inspector General. U.S. Department of Transportation.