Mastering CSA 2010
The Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA
2010) rolls out on November 30, and with about six months to go before
implementation, transportation professionals are scrambling to stay on top of the
ongoing release of information. While the new program will not change the actual
regulations guiding the transportation industry, CSA 2010 will transform the judgment, scoring and intervention for transportation violations.
At Getloaded.com, we are focused
on ensuring our members are ready for the regulations, because non-compliance with
these new laws could have devastating effects on your bottom line. Between blog
posts on our site and mentions in recent newsletters, we are dedicated to
ensuring you receive the information you need - when you need it.
Quick Overview
CSA 2010 is released through the U.S.
Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), and is intended to improve safety on the country's
highways by reducing accidents involving commercial vehicles. One of the
biggest changes to prepare for is that the Safety Measurement System (SMS) is
replacing SafeStat. Unlike SafeStat, which only judged out-of-service and
moving violations, all safety-based inspection violations will be collected
through CSA 2010.
Know Your BASICs
The new SMS process grades carriers based on
seven Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs):
- Unsafe driving
- Fatigued driving (hours of
service)
- Driver fitness
- Controlled substances/alcohol
- Vehicle maintenance
- Cargo-related
- Crash indicator
The more violations tied to a carrier, the
more their drivers will be targeted for inspections. And targeted inspections
will increase the likelihood that other violations could be identified and
additional negative points assigned - creating a vicious cycle, which highlights
the importance of avoiding violations in the first place. For more detailed
information discussing each CSA 2010 BASIC, be sure to visit our blog. New details are posted every
Friday.
Carriers, Check Your Scores
Full implementation of CSA 2010 may not occur
until November, but carriers can now complete a CSA 2010
Data Preview on the FMCSA website. Because scores
for BASIC violations will be tied to carriers, not drivers, we highly recommend
you complete this due diligence to see your inspection and crash data organized
within the new BASIC guidelines. From national carriers to owner-operators, anyone
with a U.S. DOT number can access
the Carrier Data Review and begin addressing safety compliance issues before
implementation begins.
Drivers, Read Your Records
Though carriers bear the weight of CSA 2010 violations,
drivers should also consider ordering their Pre-employment
Screening Program (PSP) records to ensure no false
crash or inspection information is attached to their history. PSP is not a part
of CSA 2010, but rather a new program allowing carriers to review a driver's
record before hiring them. Obviously, no driver wants incorrect information in
their history, but even more importantly, CSA 2010 will likely cause carriers
to drastically tighten their hiring processes. Because every violation their
drivers commit is tied to the carrier's score, most diligent carriers probably won't
keep drivers on staff who have regular offenses, and won't hire a new driver whose
records show regular violations.
Stay Informed
Although CSA 2010 has been in the works for
years, a new national program of this size seems bound to have a few
complications. Full rollout was already pushed back once because drivers and carriers
were not prepared, and feedback from the American Trucking Associations (ATA)
may result in changes to the regulations. New information is literally coming
out every week, and everyone from drivers to freight brokers shouldstay on top of these developments:
- Qualcomm, FleetMentor, TMW
Systems and Vigillo have released new programs and software that carriers can
use to read and interpret their CSA 2010 scores.
- At the ATA's recommendation, the
FMCSA is examining three potential problems or loopholes in CSA 2010:
- Crash accountability is not currently factored into scores, so
drivers involved in accidents are equally penalized regardless of whether they
are at fault.
- Carriers' exposure weighting is judged by trucks or power units,
not mileage, which can punish efficient companies who have higher miles per
truck.
- All recorded moving violations are factored into the BASICs, even
if only a warning was given, but no ticket was issued.
With only six months to prepare for full
implementation and updates coming out all the time, everyone involved in
trucking freight should focus on their compliance with CSA 2010. We will
continue to provide breaking information and updates on our blog, and encourage
you to check the FMCSA website and your favorite transportation publications
for additional information.
At the end of the day, CSA 2010 is coming whether
you're ready or not. And with experts estimating that 10 percent of drivers
could be pushed out of the industry because of their records, mastering CSA
2010 today could help save your job tomorrow.
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