As a result of input from enforcement personnel, industry representatives, and safety experts, as well as findings from an extensive 30-month field test, the FMCSA is implementing several updates to the Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology within CSA 2010 that will make it more effective in identifying high risk and other carriers with safety compliance problems.
Taking heed of industry concern about its approach to measuring exposure in two of the BASICs, Unsafe Driving and the Crash Indicator, the FMCSA is changing from a calculation based just on the number of power units (PUs) to one based on a combination of power units and vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
The FMCSA also said that these two categories will no longer use PUs to establish the group the carrier is in. The Crash Indicator category will use the number of crashes, and the Unsafe Driving category will use the number of inspections with a violation.
The PU count also will be dropped from the Controlled Substances/Alcohol category, instead using the number of relevant inspections as the exposure measurement.
In addition, severity weightings for some roadside inspection violations will be updated, and the FMCSA said it will change its approach to carriers with a history of size and weight violations. Rather than counting these violations in the Cargo-Related category, the FMCSA will send alerts to roadside inspectors when carriers have a history of these violations.
These enhancements will allow the FMCSA to more effectively identify motor carriers with safety performance and compliance problems, thereby raising the bar for safety on the nations highways.
Beginning August 16th, by accessing the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website, carriers will be able to view their percentile rankings in each BASIC based on the improved SMS methodology. This is part of the next phase in the rollout of CSA 2010.
For more information from FMCSA on the data preview and the SMS changes, click here.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
In April 2010, the FMCSA launched the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website, which allowed commercial motor vehicle carriers to view an inventory of their safety performance data by the new Safety Measurement System’s (SMS) Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) based on roadside data and investigation findings.
The FMCSA recently announced the next step in the phased rollout of CSA 2010 – an update to the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website which will allow carriers a glimpse at how they stack up compared to industry peers in the new SMS BASICs. Beginning August 16th, carriers will be able to view their current position in each of the SMSs seven BASICs based on newly improved methodology.
The BASICs will replace SafeStat’s Safety Evaluation Areas (SEAs), and this early look gives motor carriers an opportunity to understand and address their safety compliance issues right away, before the FMCSA’s new system goes live in December.
The FMCSA said that before the end of the year, warning letters will go to carriers that do not make the grade and roadside inspectors will start using the new data system to identify carriers for inspection. The rollout of CSA 2010 will be implemented state-by-state throughout 2011 as the states get up to speed. The FMCSA indicated that their proposal for a new method of determining safety fitness (Safety Fitness Determination, or SFD) is on track for publication next year.
As of mid-June, only 11,000-plus carriers had logged into the CSA 2010 website to review their safety performance data – meaning several hundred thousand carriers have not. Former FMCSA Administrator John Hill, in a recent CSA 2010 Seminar in Indianapolis, stressed the importance of carriers to review their data regularly. He noted that the FMCSA is able to see which carriers are viewing their data – those who aren’t can be viewed as showing a lack of concern for safety.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced that they’ll be hosting a second National Distracted Driving Summit on September 21 in Washington, DC. To build on the growing momentum sparked by the first summit last fall, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood will convene leading transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, industry representatives, researchers, and victims affected by distraction-related crashes to address challenges and identify opportunities for national anti-distracted driving efforts.
Last fall, Secretary LaHood sparked a national conversation on distracted driving when he held a Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC. In the year since that Summit, efforts to curb distracted driving have grown exponentially. President Obama enacted an Executive Order banning all text messaging by four million federal employees, dozens of state and local governments enacted anti-distracted driving legislation, and the federal government established a texting ban for commercial truck and bus drivers. In addition, Secretary LaHood launched a new government website – www.distraction.gov – to provide the public with a comprehensive resource about how to get involved.
At this year’s event, experts from around the country will explore accomplishments since the first summit, as well as the many challenges that lie ahead. Key topics will include research, technology, policy, public outreach, and best practices in enforcement.
Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that in 2008, nearly 6,000 people died and more than half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. More than 20 percent of all crashes that same year involved some type of distraction.
State highway safety agencies are committed to addressing driver distraction through a comprehensive approach including laws, education, enforcement, employer policies and the use of technology. In July, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released a new report detailing state distracted driving countermeasures. The report shows that states are implementing many strategies to begin to turn the tide against distraction. The report is available online at www.ghsa.org/html/publications/survey/index.html.
For a full list of state laws regulating texting and cell phone use while driving, visit: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.
Additional details on the 2nd National Distracted Driving Summit will be released as they become available at www.distraction.gov/2010summit.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.