Safety Measurement System
Within the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Operational Model, the
Safety Measurement System (SMS)
quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates
for interventions, determine the specific safety problems the a carrier or driver
exhibits, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening. SMS
has replaced SafeStat in the new Operational Model.
SMS uses a motor carrier’s data from roadside inspections, including all safety-based
violations, State-reported crashes, and the Federal motor carrier census to quantify
performance in the following Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories
(BASICs).
CSA BASICs:
- Unsafe Driving — Operation of commercial motor vehicles
(CMVs) by drivers in a dangerous or careless manner. Example violations:
Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention. (FMCSR Parts
392
and
397)
- Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service) — Operation of CMVs
by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the Hours-of-Service
(HOS) regulations. This BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to logbooks
as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue. Example
violations: Exceeding HOS, maintaining an incomplete or inaccurate logbook,
and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued. (FMCSR Parts
392
and
395)
- Driver Fitness — Operation of CMVs by drivers who are unfit
to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualifications.
Example violations: Failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver’s
license (CDL) and being medically unqualified to operate a CMV. (FMCSR Parts
383
and
391)
- Controlled Substances/Alcohol — Operation of CMVs by drivers
who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter
medications. Example violations: Use or possession of controlled substances/alcohol.
(FMCSR Parts
382
and
392)
- Vehicle Maintenance — Failure to properly maintain a CMV.
Example violations: Brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, and failure
to make required repairs. (FMCSR Parts
393
and
396)
- Cargo-Related — Failure to properly prevent shifting loads,
spilled or dropped cargo, overloading, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials
on a CMV. Example violations: Improper load securement, cargo retention,
and hazardous material handling. (FMCSR Parts
392,
393,
397
and HM Violations)
- Crash Indicator— Histories or patterns of high crash involvement,
including frequency and severity. It is based on information from State-reported
crashes.
A carrier’s measurement for each BASIC depends on the following:
- The number of adverse safety events (violations related to that BASIC or crashes)
- The severity of violations or crashes
- When the adverse safety events occurred (more recent events are weighted more heavily).
After a measurement is determined, the carrier is then placed in a peer group (e.g.,
other carriers with similar numbers of inspections). Percentiles from 0 to 100 are
then determined by comparing the BASIC measurements of the carrier to the measurements
of other carriers in the peer group. A percentile 100 indicates the worst performance.