CSA 2010 is on the near horizon. The plans have been laid, the infrastructure is in place, and the program will be ready to roll in the Summer of 2010. This is a complex program that will have some bearing on every driver and carrier in the United States. At BigRigDriving we’re going to cover the CSA 2010 Program extensively to clarify the policies, eliminate false rumors, and help you understand how this program will effect truck drivers and commercial carriers nationwide.
For now we’ll start with the basics and then we’ll steer you toward resources that will help you understand the program better, including our blog and forum topics dedicated to your questions, answers, and comments regarding CSA 2010.
About CSA 2010 – What Is It?
According to the CSA2010 Website:
“Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010, CSA 2010, is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV)-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. It introduces a new enforcement and compliance model that allows FMCSA and its State partners to contact a larger number of carriers earlier in order to address safety problems before crashes occur. When the program is fully rolled out by the end of 2010, FMCSA will have a new nationwide system for making the roads safer for motor carriers and the public alike!”
What Does This Mean In English?
The Federal Government is creating a new program to monitor the safety of truck drivers and trucking companies. It will replace the SAFESTAT system that has been used for many years to help track commercial driver and commercial carrier safety performance.
Why Is CSA 2010 Needed?
According to the CSA2010 Website:
“Since the 1970s, Federal and State enforcement agencies in partnership with many other stakeholders have progressively reduced the rate of commercial vehicle crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities on our Nation’s highways.
“The rate of crash reduction has slowed, prompting FMCSA to take a fresh look at how the agency evaluates the safety of motor carriers and drivers and to explore ways to improve its safety monitoring, evaluation, and intervention processes. CSA 2010 is the result of this comprehensive examination.
Basically, they’ve found that the rate of reduction in accidents and fatalities over the years has slowed and it’s time for a new system that can take safety and accountability to the next level, making the roads safer for everyone.
How Will CSA 2010 Work?
According to the CSA2010 Website:
“When FMCSA rolls out CSA 2010, the Safety Measurement System (SMS) will replace SafeStat. Every month, SMS will measure the previous two years of roadside violation and crash data and calculate a score in seven safety behavior areas, called BASICs (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories).”
In other words, CSA 2010 will gather information nationwide from crash sites and roadside vehicle inspections and calculate just how safe a particular commercial carrier or truck driver may be. Note that these scores are only based on data from the previous two years.
What Are The CSA 2010 BASIC’S For Calculating Scores?
There are seven BASIC’s (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) that will be used to evaluate the safety performance of commercial drivers and commercial carriers. They are:
- Unsafe Driving
- Fatigued Driving (Hours of Service)
- Driver Fitness
- Controlled Substances and Alcohol
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Cargo Related
- Crash Indicator
We’ll cover each of these in detail later on.
BigRig Blogs For CSA 2010
CSA 2010 Will Not Assign Safety Ratings to Individual Drivers (yeah right!)
Written by Brett Aquila on 2010-02-11 08:49:12
CSA 2010, as is typical of any government-run program, is already full of misconceptions, contradictions, and confusion. Trucker drivers are obviously concerned about their safety rating and how that will affect their current job, and prospects for truck driving jobs in the future. Well, oddly enough, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration) claims there is not going to be a safety rating assigned to individual company drivers at all. And yet they clearly state that when a carrier gets audited, their driver’s safety records will be reviewed. They also have a pre-employment screening program in place to allow trucking companies to get driver safety information before hiring a driver. Will this pre-employment screening and safety rating system apply to owner-operators only? What effects will CSA 2010 have on company drivers? Let’s take a look.
Understanding The Six CSA 2010 BASIC’s
Written by Brett Aquila on 2010-01-19 10:03:45
There are six BASIC’s regarding the CSA 2010 implementation and one last measure called “Crash Indicator”. The CSA 2010 team developed the BASICs under the premise that commercial motor vehicle crashes can be traced to the behavior of motor carriers and/or drivers. Here is a list of all seven items, their definitions, and some examples of how they apply.
Recent News From The CSA 2010 Website
CSA 2010 Outreach
A listing of new items posted to the CSA 2010 Outreach site!
FMCSA Releases Safety Measurement System to Motor Carriers
Posted on 16 August 2010 @ 12:00 am
August 16, 2010 – The U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pleased to announce
the next step in the rollout of Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010).
CSA 2010 Data Preview
Commercial motor vehicle carriers may now view their individual safety assessments on the Data Preview Website. This updated Website provides motor carriers with information
on where they stand in each Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) based on roadside data and investigation findings.
Each motor carrier’s BASIC assessments are visible only to them (and to enforcement staff) until December of 2010. In December,
assessments will be made available to the public. Also, enforcement agencies will use these assessments to prioritize the Agency’s
enforcement and compliance assistance workload. By providing carriers with this information now, FMCSA’s approach gives carriers the
earliest possible opportunity to improve compliance.
FMCSA is providing motor carriers with this early look at the new Safety Measurement System (SMS) so they can see their performance
data, can address safety compliance issues right away and can update and verify their data online. Release of this safety performance
information underscores FMCSA’s commitment to data integrity and the motor carrier industry’s responsibility for ensuring commercial
vehicle safety. This important step is designed to allow motor carriers to identify and address unsafe behaviors that can lead to
crashes. What can motor carriers do now to prepare for the new system? Motor carriers should look at their assessment on the Data
Preview Website,
Motor Carriers to View CSA 2010 Safety Assessments: Will Include SMS Improvements
Posted on 4 August 2010 @ 12:00 am
FMCSA Provides Motor Carriers with an Early Look at CSA 2010 Safety Standings; Announces Improvements to the Safety Measurement System; Addresses Recently Raised Concerns
The U. S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pleased
to announce the next step in the phased rollout of Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010).
Motor Carrier Data Preview:
In April 2010, 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). On August 16, 2010, FMCSA will update the Data Preview Website by providing carriers with an assessment of where they stand in each BASIC based on roadside data and investigation findings. The SMS’s seven BASICs are Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related and Crash Indicator. The BASICs will replace SafeStat’s Safety Evaluation Areas (SEAs) in December 2010, and this early look gives motor carriers an opportunity to understand and address their safety compliance issues right away.
Recent Updates to SMS:
The Data Preview assessments will be based on an improved SMS methodology. As a result of input from enforcement personnel, industry representatives, and safety experts, as well as findings from an extensive, 30-month field test, FMCSA is implementing several updates to the SMS that will make it more effective in identifying high risk and other carriers with safety compliance problems. Specifically:
- The measure
CSA 2010: Before Congress and On the Radio!
Posted on 28 June 2010 @ 12:00 am
FMCSA Administrator Ferro Testifies Before Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
On Wednesday, June 23, 2010 FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro spoke before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, on CSA 2010: Understanding FMCSA’s New System of Motor Carrier Oversight. The Subcommittee received testimony from the Administrator, as well as representatives from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Read her written statement, or view a taping of the hearing in its entirety.
On the Radio this Tuesday: CSA 2010 Myths Dispelled!
Listen to FMCSA dispel myths about the CSA 2010 program Tuesday, June 29th on The Lockridge Report at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171.
11,000+ Motor Carriers View CSA 2010 Safety Performance Data
Posted on 15 June 2010 @ 12:00 am
Motor Carriers, using their U.S. DOT number and PIN, have been able to review their safety performance data by the new Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) for just over two months now. An average of 723 new Motor Carriers are logging in each week. To date, 11,259 unique Motor Carriers have viewed their safety data by BASIC since the site launched on April 12th. The Data Review area provides instructions on how to request FMCSA review of potentially erroneous data and, most important, guidance on how to improve compliance with safety regulations in order to increase safety on our Nation’s roads. Please join us in spreading the word and encouraging all Motor Carriers to visit the CSA 2010 Web site to check their safety performance data today!
On the Radio this Thursday: CSA 2010 Myths Dispelled!
Posted on 8 June 2010 @ 12:00 am
Listen to FMCSA dispel myths about the CSA 2010 program this Thursday, June 10th on Land Line Now at 8 and 11 p.m. Eastern on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171.
New CSA 2010 Materials Now Available!
Posted on 28 May 2010 @ 12:00 am
Did You Know? Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) does not give FMCSA the authority to remove 175,000 drivers from their jobs and cannot be used to rate drivers or to revoke a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). FMCSA does not have the authority to take those actions. Only State agencies responsible for issuing licenses, CDL or otherwise, have the authority to suspend them. CSA 2010 does introduce a driver safety assessment tool to help enforcement staff evaluate drivers’ safety as part of motor carrier investigations.
This is just one of several facts explained in the new Just the Facts flyer. Just the Facts sets the records straight on the most common myths about the program. More “Just the Facts” facts will be added in the coming weeks.
Several other new pieces of collateral material have also been added to the website. (Please note that the Data Review Supplemental Slides include animation.)
CSA 2010 Rollout: What is Happening When?
Posted on 27 May 2010 @ 12:00 am
After listening carefully to all stakeholders including Operational Model test participants, enforcement staff, and industry safety experts, FMCSA developed a revised schedule for the roll out of CSA 2010 in line with its commitment to launch this program in the most effective way possible. The rollout schedule is designed to methodically step federal and state enforcement staff, as well as the motor carrier industry, into the program one stride at a time – increasing the safety benefits through better understanding and increased accountability for good safety performance. The rollout timeline is outlined below:
- April 12 – November 30, 2010 – Motor carriers can preview their own data by seeing their roadside inspections/violations and crash events organized by Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC).
- Summer 2010
- June 30th – The Operational Model (Op-Model) Test will end.
- July – The four “50/50” Op-Model Test states, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri and New Jersey, will join the five 100% Op-Model Test states in implementing the program.
- August – Motor carriers will be able to see an assessment of their violations based on the new Carrier Safety Measurement System (CSMS) which will replace SafeStat later in 2010.
- Fall/Winter 2010
- SafeStat will be replaced by the CSMS. CSMS will be available to the public, including shippers and insurance companies.
- FMCSA/States will prioritize enforcement using the CSMS.
- FMCSA will begin to issue Warning Letters to carriers with deficient BASICs.
- Roadside inspectors will use the CSMS results to identify carriers for inspection.
