CSA 2010 Update: Carriers & CDL Truck Drivers Affected
The measurement and enforcement of safety in the trucking industry is on the verge of a major transformation. The FMCSA's current SafeStat system, considered inefficient and largely ineffective, identifies motor carriers for a compliance review (CR) using only out-of-service (OOS) and moving violations from roadside inspections.
Beginning in mid-2010, Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA 2010) will replace the SafeStat system. CSA 2010, in addition to having a much more robust method of grading, will consist of two distinct safety measurement systems (SMS): one for individual carriers and one for individual CDL drivers. This represents a fundamental shift as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is expanding its approach by directly monitoring the safety and performance of individual drivers in addition to identifying unsafe motor carriers. The new CSA 2010 approach will hold both motor carriers and drivers responsible for safety and performance.
CSA 2010 calculates safety performance of motor carriers and individual drivers based on seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs), and their scores will determine what action the FMCSA will take to bring the carrier and/or drivers into compliance. The seven BASICs, focused on behaviors linked to crash risk, are:
1. Unsafe Driving (Parts 392 & 397)
2. Fatigued Driving / Hours-of-Service (Parts 392 & 395)
3. Driver Fitness (Parts 383 & 391)
4. Controlled Substances/Alcohol (Parts 382 & 392)
5. Vehicle Maintenance (Parts 393 & 396)
6. Cargo Related (Parts 392, 393, 397 & HM)
7. Crash Indicator
The driver enforcement process of CSA 2010 enables Safety Investigators (SI) to identify problem drivers and to verify and address safety and compliance issues by tapping into a Driver Information Resource (DIR), consisting of individual driver safety performance and compliance history.
Beginning in December 2009, FMCSA's Commercial Drivers Pre-Employment Screening Program will provide carriers with individual drivers' safety performance histories with previous employers. These "Driver Profiles" from DIR contain important driver data including crash and inspection histories for individual drivers, allowing employers to use that data to better determine potential safety risks. The new program goes farther in terms of investigating a driver's history at the time of employment, making the background check process more rigorous and safer for all.
Over the course of the coming months, The Dispatch will continue to provide information and updates on CSA 2010, including articles and material from various professionals throughout the industry.
For information on CSA 2010 directly from FMCSA, visit the site at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/. The latest update includes a downloadable Industry Briefing PowerPoint presentation.
CSA 2010 Updates appear every Wednesday in the FMCSA News Summary.
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