All NLA operator members in the U.S. are encouraged to review new information published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regarding CSA 2010, which is being designed to measure safety and compliance, determine safety fitness, recommend and apply interventions and track and evaluate safety improvements for both carriers and individual drivers.
A summary, prepared by Cornerstone Government Affairs for the NLA, is below. More information on CSA 2010 is available at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov.
CSA 2010 is a data-driven approach to determining safety fitness that is not contingent on compliance reviews. Under this approach, a measurement system (computer algorithm) will use safety data inputs to rate the safety performance of carriers and individual drivers. CSA 2010 will implement a new Safety Measurement System (“SMS”) that quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates for interventions, to determine the specific safety problems exhibited by a carrier or driver, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or getting worse. SMS replaces SafeStat in the new operational model. The Carrier SMS uses a motor carrier’s data from roadside inspections, including all safety-based violations, State reported crashes, and the Federal motor carrier census to quantify performance in the following Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (“BASICs”):
BASICs
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Example Violations |
| Unsafe Driving: Operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) by drivers in a dangerous or careless manner. |
Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 397) |
| Fatigued Driving: Operation of CMVs by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the hours-of service (HOS) regulations. This BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to log books as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue. |
HOS, logbook, and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 395) |
Driver Fitness: Operation of CMVs by drivers who are unfit to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualifications
|
Failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver’s license and being medically unqualified to operate a CMV. (FMCSR Parts 383 and 391) |
| Controlled Substances and Alcohol: Operation of CMVs by drivers who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications. |
Use or possession of controlled substances or alcohol. (FMCSR Parts 382 and 392) |
| Vehicle Maintenance: CMV failure due to improper or inadequate maintenance. |
Brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, and failure to make required repairs. (FMCSR Parts 393 and 396) |
| Crash: Histories or patterns of high crash involvement, including frequency and severity. It is based on information from state-reported crashes. |
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A carrier’s score for each BASIC depends on:
-The number of adverse safety events (violations related to that BASIC or crashes)
-The severity of violations or crashes
-When the adverse safety events occurred (more recent events are weighted more heavily).
After a score is determined, the carrier is then placed in a peer group of carriers with similar size or numbers of inspections. Percentiles from 0 to 100 are then determined by comparing the BASIC scores of the carrier to the scores of other carriers in the peer group. If one or more of a carrier’s BASIC percentiles exceed a threshold, the carrier then becomes a candidate for an intervention. Typically, the intervention process starts with a warning letter, which provides the carrier with an opportunity to review their performance and make improvements without further FMCSA involvement. Thresholds vary depending on the type of carrier and the BASIC. According to FMCSA, since the consequences of passenger or HM crashes are typically more severe, lower intervention thresholds are in place for these types of carriers.
FMCSA expects implementation of CSA 2010 July 2010. More information on CSA 2010 is available at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov.