FMCSA pushes back CSA 2010 start date

April 8, 2010
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pushing back the start date for its new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) program to November this year – a full five months past its original June kick off date – to give itself and the trucking industry more preparation time

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pushing back the start date for its new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) program to November this year – a full five months past its original June kick off date – to give itself and the trucking industry more preparation time.

“We’re not ‘pushing back’ CSA 2010’s start time per se – we’re still launching it in 2010 as intended,” Candice Tolliver of the Dept. of Transportation’s office of public affairs, told FleetOwner.

(More from the FMCSA)

“We want to put out the best rules possible, making sure they are as complete and thorough as we can and incorporate all the feedback we’ve received from stakeholders,” she explained. Tolliver noted that FMCSA is currently incorporating the findings from over 30 months of testing in nine CSA 2010 pilot states.

CSA 2010 is designed to make it easier for FMCSA to identify the riskiest motor carriers through the use of more “real-time” safety data. Roadside inspection reports, violations, accident records and other safety-related information that is currently stored in a variety of different individual systems will be collected into two distinct databases-- one for carriers and one for drivers.

(Norm Ellis of Qualcomm talks about CSA 2010)

That data will then be divided into seven specific categories – dubbed “Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories” or BASICs – allowing FMCSA to quickly pinpoint developing safety risks, with the resulting safety ratings based on the individual categories rather than overall performance. Failing just one of two specific categories — the ones largely based on traffic and hours-of-service violations — will lead to an unsatisfactory rating even if everything is fine in the other six.

Unlike the current SafetyStat rating system that can be based on very old historical information, the CSA fleet and driver data will be updated monthly. That means one bad month can quickly change a fleet's rating, a rating that is publicly available to shippers and any other interested party. And that data will be held in a fleet's record for two years and a driver's record for three. The one exception is accident information, which will be kept on file for both fleets and drivers for five years.

The Unsafe Driving and Fatigued Driving categories are particularly important because a poor rating in either one will result in an overall poor safety rating for the fleet, noted Dave Kraft, Qualcomm’s senior manager of governmental affairs. “FMCSA is serious about getting the bad actors out of the industry,” he said. “The thing to remember is that each of the seven BASIC measurements will be updated monthly and you can fail in any one.”

About the Author

Sean Kilcarr | Editor in Chief

Sean reports and comments on trends affecting the many different strata of the trucking industry -- light and medium duty fleets up through over-the-road truckload, less-than-truckload, and private fleet operations Also be sure to visit Sean's blog Trucks at Work where he offers analysis on a variety of different topics inside the trucking industry.

About the Author

Jim Mele

Nationally recognized journalist, author and editor, Jim Mele joined Fleet Owner in 1986 with over a dozen years’ experience covering transportation as a newspaper reporter and magazine staff writer. Fleet Owner Magazine has won over 45 national editorial awards since his appointment as editor-in-chief in 1999.

Sponsored Recommendations

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

How to Choose the Right Route Planning Solution

This free buyer's guide will help equip you with the knowledge and insights needed to analyze route planning software and vendors in the market and, ultimately, make an informed...

How to Put Your Trucking Data to Work

How fleets can overcome data overload to optimize operations and get ahead.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!