Since the pilot began more than 18 months ago, commercial carriers had been adapting their internal processes and developing new measurement technologies to meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA). With the goal of reducing trucking accidents and related car and truck fatalities and addressing safety issues in the trucking industry, the new standards - formally enacted in December 2010 - impact operations of commercial carriers, including operators who are hazmat drivers.
The CSA has three components that focus on measuring safety performance, evaluating high-risk behaviors and tailoring more effective interventions. For commercial carriers, the standards create a paradigm shift in how truckers and companies operate and maintain their vehicles, as well as how they must deal with federal compliance.
Among the various changes, the CSA replaces the old SafeStat system with the Safety Measurement System (SMS). Under the SMS, safety fitness determinations are issued monthly; factors such as driver fitness, unsafe driving practices, vehicle maintenance, crash history and cargo loading or securing impact this monthly evaluation.
Along with shifts in safety evaluations, companies are required to modify their "on-duty" hours and maintain comprehensive electronic travel logs. For those trucking companies who are not passing their monthly safety evaluations, the CSA program allows for earlier safety interventions, including:
- Early warning letters
- Targeted roadside inspections
- Focused compliance reviews
Since commercial trucks account for 11 percent of all motor vehicle accidents, the new CSA is a necessary tool for improving highway safety. However, there might be consequences to the federal initiative: inaccurate numbers or rankings could impact a carrier's insurance premiums.
While the American Trucking Association (ATA) and other trucking industry organizations originally supported the CSA initiative, they now oppose many of the program's mandates. Citing improved public safety as a justification, industry stakeholders weigh the high economic and practical consequences of the tougher standards.
To improve traffic safety and save lives, drivers, commercial carriers, government and law enforcement must actively embrace the new regulations and oversight designed to protect the trucking industry and those who share the nation's highways. With the more stringent CSA safety standards in place to monitor vehicle and driver fitness, all motor vehicle operators will benefit from safer roads.
