Waynes World - January 2010
MONUMENTAL CHANGES ARE COMING IN
REGARDS TO SAFETY RATINGS, SO...
IT’S TIME TO PREPARE
FOR CSA 2010!
by Wayne Schooling
Are you and your drivers familiar with the new CSA 2010 enforcement program the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is now in the process of initiating? If not, it’s not too late to get with the program. Both truckers and company owners should allocate more resources to begin analyzing results of their roadside inspections to detect violations that could result in enforcement action, including revocation of their operating authority, as the industry prepares for a radical change in the way the FMCSA evaluates the safety of drivers and fleets. Beginning this month, January 2010, carriers will be able to see a compilation of safety violations by drivers based on results of state inspections and police reports. Then, later in the year, the same data will be used to compile the new carrier safety fitness ratings.
Like the current SafeStat system, carriers’ over-the-road performance and compliance will be tracked. All recordable crashes, roadside inspection reports and data from safety audits will be collected by the FMCSA, just like they are now. But, when looking at the roadside inspection reports, the CSA 2010 system will use ALL VIOLATIONS noted to calculate a carrier’s score, not just the out-of-service violations. One other change is that the CSA 2010 system will use seven narrow “Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories” (BASICs) instead of the four broad “Safety Evaluation Areas” (SEA) currently used. By making the data narrower (more specific) and using more data, the FMCSA believes they will have a better view of problems a carrier may be having.
The seven new “BASIC” categories are: 1) Unsafe driving (violations of traffic laws and Part 392); 2) Fatigued driving (violations of Parts 392 and 395); 3) Driver fitness (violations of Parts 383 and 391); 4) Controlled substances and/or alcohol (violations of Parts 382 and 392); 5) Vehicle maintenance (violations of Parts 393 and 396); 6) Cargo (violations of Subpart I of Part 393 and other hazardous materials regulations); and 7) Crash history.
If any of the BASIC scores exceed a “threshold” (determined by the FMCSA), the carrier will be subject to interventions. The interventions will include, in order: 1) A warning letter; 2) The carrier will be targeted for additional inspections; 3) FMCSA will conduct an off-site review of requested records sent to a local DOT office; 4) An on-site review will be ordered; 5) The carrier will be required to submit a cooperative safety plan; 6) A Notice of Violation will be sent; 7) A Notice of Claim (fine) will be sent. The final intervention will be determining that the carrier is “UNFIT” and order them to suspend operations.
But the big change that is coming with CSA 2010 is that individual drivers will also be subject to the same process (using the same “BASIC” criteria) is the carriers. Any crashes or roadside inspection violations reported to the FMCSA will be entered into the system, and a BASIC score for each and every driver will be generated. If any of the scores are above the FMCSA’s pre-determined threshold, the driver can be subject to these same interventions.
What you can do? How can you get ready for this monumental change? First, start tracking your roadside inspection violations (whether you are a carrier or a driver). The scoring inside each BASIC will be based on the severity of the violations and crashes, as well as when the violations and crashes occurred. Second, start being more active in challenging violations that you feel are not legitimate (whether you are a driver or a carrier). State motor carrier safety offices, the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and FMCSA’s “DataQs” system can all provide mechanisms to help you challenge violations. Finally, you need to start making sure that you only have good data going into the FMCSA data collection system. Once the change is made to CSA 2010, all carrier data in the system for the last 24 months and all driver data in the system from the last 36 months will be used to determine your score. “Good data” is accomplished by reducing the frequency and severity of DOT recordable crashes and getting more “No Violations Discovered” comments on your roadside inspection reports.
As a carrier or a driver, how do you accomplish this? By actively training your drivers (or yourself) about proper roadside inspections, safe driving, staying qualified and in good condition when driving (ie: correctly licensed and medically qualified, not in violation of the hours-of-service regulations, and not under the influence), vehicle inspections, cargo securement and defensive driving (all crashes count, so it is critical that drivers avoid all accidents, not just “not cause them”).
So, where do you find the resources to get all of this training? The best training available actually comes from the people who make the regulations – the US DOT. I know this sounds like a commercial, but the NTA’s website is the official US DOT training site on the web – all of the training you need can be found at their “On-Line Institute for Motor Carriers” on their website (www.ntassoc.com). Once there, you will find driver courses, management courses and hazmat courses – everything you need 24/7 to get the knowledge required to stay ahead of the game and create the best safety record (and rating) possible.
~ NTA remains a name you can trust. Our website (www.ntassoc.com) is your official U.S. DOT Internet Training Site and we are administrators of a Nationally Accredited Drug and Alcohol Program. If you have any questions, call me at (562) 279-0557 or send an e-mail to wayne@ntassoc.com. Until next month, “Drive Safe – Drive Smart!”