What's New: CSA News and Information

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the January 27, 2012 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

 
NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Driver Fitness Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is one in a series to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.

The Driver Fitness BASIC factsheet focuses on drivers and their operation of commercial motor vehicles, including their driving, training, and medical qualifications, as outlined under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) Parts 383 and 391. Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for additional information regarding what documents associated with this BASIC to keep in the event of a safety investigation, such as annual reviews of driving records, and how to proactively address driver fitness-related problems.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service (HOS)) Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is the second in a series of seven that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released on January 17, 2012 to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.

This week FMCSA is putting the spotlight on the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC factsheet, which gives information about driver fatigue management and HOS requirements, as outlined under Parts 392 and 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for information regarding the types of documents associated with this BASIC they should keep, such as records of duty status (RODS), and for information about how to proactively address HOS and driver fatigue-related problems.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has enhanced the Safety Measurement System (SMS) Methodology so that it includes violations based on new cell phone use regulations and provides more detailed breakouts of some existing brake, wheel, and coupling regulations. In February, when the January snapshot is released, motor carriers may notice the following two changes.

1. The addition of five texting and cell phone use violations in the Unsafe Driving Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) as outlined below. The violations reflect FMCSA’s decision on January 3, 2012 to ban commercial drivers from using mobile telephones while driving, which includes a ban on texting. Motor carriers should discuss the new violations with their drivers to ensure that they are aware of these requirements.

   Added Carrier SMS Unsafe Driving BASIC Violations
   Section	Violation Description Shown on Driver/Vehicle Examination Report Given to Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Driver after Roadside Inspection	Violation Group Description	Violation Severity Weight
   177.804(b)	Failure to comply with 49 CFR 392.80 - Texting while Oper a CMV - Placardable HM	Texting	10
   177.804(c)	Fail to comply with 392.82 - Using Mobile Phone while Oper a CMV - HM	Phone Call	10
   392.80(a)	Driving a commercial motor vehicle while texting	Texting	10
   392.82(a)(1)	Using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a CMV	Phone Call	10
   392.82(a)(2)	Allowing or requiring driver to use a hand-held mobile tel while operating a CMV	Phone Call	10

2. A breakout of six current Vehicle Maintenance violations into 22 that provide more descriptive and detailed information about compliance with existing brake, wheel, and coupling regulations. This change will ensure that SMS remains aligned with improvements recently made to roadside data collection systems. Those improvements are the results of a joint FMCSA and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance effort to increase data uniformity through improved processes and tools. This change will help to clarify who the responsible party is for the violations, either the motor carrier or the Intermodal Equipment Provider.

FMCSA is revising Appendix A of the SMS Methodology document to take these changes into account. The agency will re-post the document to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website at the same time the January SMS snapshot is released. Stay tuned by subscribing to the CSA Outreach Website at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/stay_connected.aspx.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Unsafe Driving Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is one in a series of seven that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released on January 17, 2012 to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.
 
This week FMCSA is highlighting the Unsafe Driving BASIC factsheet, which addresses the careless and dangerous operation of commercial motor vehicles by drivers, as outlined under Parts 392 and 397 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for information about the types of documents associated with this BASIC they should keep, such as driver training certificates, and for information about how to proactively handle unsafe driving problems.

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program has just released a new Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet series on the CSA Outreach Website. These factsheets are targeted for motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who want to learn more about the agency’s seven BASICs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) upon which they are based, and how to ensure they comply with those regulations.
 
Motor carriers and drivers should read all seven of these new factsheets to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the CSA program and, more specifically, the BASICs. The BASICs are Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related, and Crash Indicator. As these factsheets outline, the BASICs are safety categories in the CSA program’s Safety Measurement System (SMS). Motor carriers can see where they stand in each BASIC by logging into the SMS online (http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/).
 
These BASIC factsheets fulfill an informational need for motor carriers and drivers looking for ways to improve their safety performance. Motor carriers should consider these factsheets not only as a resource for themselves but also as a tool for educating their drivers. FMCSA will highlight one BASIC factsheet each Monday for the next seven weeks through this subscription email service to support industry’s understanding of the BASICs.
 
View the BASIC factsheets now.

 Stay connected to CSA by subscribing to the RSS feed and signing up for the email subscription service (http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Stay_Connected.aspx).

Did You Know…As a motor carrier, your Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data from your Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, are used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.

If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February.

Update your MCS-150 now with your 2010 or 2011 VMT/PU data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate your percentiles. Visit https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/PKG_REGISTRATION.prc_option to update your MCS-150 information. Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option - “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.”

PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/InfoCenter/#question5. MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites.

Below are a few questions and answers that help to explain the situation.
 
 
1)      If the VMT data is not updated and is 2009 or older, what impact will this have when the snapshot is posted in the beginning of February?  SMS uses VMT data if it has been provided within the last 24 months and references one of the two previous years.  So, the January 2012 snapshot (released in early February 2012), will only include data provided within the last 24 months and that has a VMT year of 2010 or later.

2)      What will be affected?  This could potentially impact a motor carrier’s Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator BASICs results – both which use VMT data in their calculations.

3)      How will motors carrier be affected?  Motor carriers that currently receive a VMT-based adjustment due to high truck utilization (i.e. more VMT per PU than the average) will cease receiving that adjustment if they do not update their MCS-150 form to reflect more recent data (i.e. VMT year of 2010 or 2011).

4)      If they update the information during the month of January will the change be reflected in the January snapshot that is posted in early February? Motor carriers must update their VMT information in the first few weeks of January to avoid this potentially detrimental effect on their Unsafe Drive and Crash Indicator BASIC percentiles.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the December 16, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. 

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

Did You Know…As a motor carrier, your Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data from your Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, are used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.

If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February.

Update your MCS-150 now with 2010 VMT/PU information or shortly after January 1, 2012 with your 2011 data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate your percentiles. Visit https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/PKG_REGISTRATION.prc_option to update your MCS-150 information. Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option - “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.”

PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/InfoCenter/#question5. MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the November 18, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. 

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the October 28, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. 

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the September 23, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. 

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute’s (UMTRI) recent evaluation of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Operational Model Test (Op-Model Test) concluded that the CSA warning letter intervention is highly effective.  Specifically, the results showed that a year after receiving a warning letter, 83% of the test carriers had resolved identified safety problems.
 
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued over 33,000 warning letters since it launched CSA last December.  While it is not required, many motor carriers send in letters and/or call Division Offices when they receive a warning letter; a number of them have reported that the letter served as a wake-up call that helped them to identify and address  their safety problems.
           
The Warning Letter Tipsheet, a useful tool for motor carriers that receive warning letters, can be found at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/WarningLetterTipsheet.pdf.  FMCSA will begin enclosing one with each warning letter this fall.

A general factsheet about the warning letter intervention can be found at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/CSA2010_WarningLetterFactsheet.pdf.  It provides a sample warning letter and some frequently asked questions.
           
In addition, those interested in learning more about the UMTRI evaluation can visit http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/umtri.aspx.  

Stay connected to CSA by signing up for the email subscription service at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/subscription.aspx.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the August 26, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

Also the Safety Measurement System(SMS) Downloads area now contains a file with SMS Summary Results for all active motor carriers registered as Intrastate Non-Hazmat motor carriers.  Previously, SMS Summary results were only available for motor carriers registered as Interstate and Intrastate Hazmat motor carriers.  In addition, the Motor Carrier Census Information download now identifies motor carriers  that are subject to the ‘Placardable Hazardous Materials (HM) Threshold’.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

Did You Know?

• The data kept by a State (i.e. tickets, citations, written warnings, convictions) and the data that is kept in the SMS (i.e. violations from roadside inspection and crash reports) are separate.
• Carriers do not inherit any of a newly hired driver’s past violations. Only those inspections that a driver receives while driving under a carrier’s authority can be applied to a carrier’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) record.
• CSA does not give FMCSA the authority to remove drivers from their jobs and cannot be used to rate drivers or to revoke a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

These are just a few of several facts explained in the CSA Just the Facts flyer. Just the Facts sets the records straight on the most common myths about the CSA program.
 
Know the Facts…Be Prepared

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today released the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) independent evaluation of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program’s Operational Model Test (Op-Model Test). UMTRI’s findings confirm that CSA substantially improves FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance model. The results confirm that the CSA model enables FMCSA and its State Partners to contact more commercial motor carriers earlier to correct safety problems and ensure compliance with safety regulations in order to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities related to commercial motor vehicles.

Launched in 2008, the CSA Op-Model Test divided motor carriers from four test states (Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, and New Jersey) between test and control groups. UMTRI evaluated the effectiveness of the new Safety Measurement System (SMS) and CSA interventions, and compared the cost and efficiency of the CSA compliance and enforcement model to the previous model. They found effectiveness and efficiency gains that fully support the ongoing national implementation of CSA, as outlined below. FMCSA added additional states, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, and Montana, to the test to demonstrate full implementation challenges and to provide a validation dataset for evaluation purposes.

CSA’s SMS better identifies motor carriers for safety interventions than the previous SafeStat system.

• “The results showed that the SMS is a significant improvement over the SafeStat system in identifying unsafe carriers. (p. xiv)”
• Crash rates were higher for motor carriers identified with safety problems in the SMS’s seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) than for motor carriers that were not identified with safety problems in the seven BASICs.
• The crash rate for motor carriers that were identified with safety problems by the SMS in the Unsafe Driving BASIC was more than three times greater than the crash rate for motor carriers not identified with any safety problems by SMS.

CSA interventions are effective in improving motor carriers' safety behavior.

• “The effect of the warning letter intervention is likely one of the most significant findings in this evaluation. (p. xviii)” Twelve months after receiving a warning letter, SMS results showed that 83% of test carriers had resolved identified safety problems and only 17% continued to have safety problems.
• The new CSA Onsite Focused Investigations proved to be effective. Almost 20% fewer motor carriers continued to show safety problems 12 months after an on-site focused investigation, as compared with those receiving traditional Compliance Reviews (CRs).

CSA interventions use enforcement resources efficiently.

• More intensive interventions were used on carriers that exhibited higher crash risk confirming that the rules guiding intervention selection are operating to ensure effective and efficient safety interventions.
• Warning letters, which were found to be very effective in improving safety behavior, had only a nominal cost.
• CSA Onsite Focused Investigations cost approximately 53 percent less than CRs and were effective in producing compliance.
• The average cost of CSA interventions was $754 per motor carrier, as compared to $1438 for motor carriers receiving CRs.

CSA reaches more carriers to improve safety compliance.

• CSA interventions contact approximately three times the number of motor carriers contacted using the previous model which relied primarily on CRs.
• Among the CSA test group, the annual percentage of motor carriers contacted was 9.9 percent, compared with the 3.2 percent of motor carriers that received full CRs in 2009.

The evaluator identified some areas that require improvement and FMCSA is firmly committed to a continuous improvement process for this very important program.

SMS’s BASICs are significantly related to underlying motor carrier safety, although the Cargo-Related and Driver Fitness BASICs show a weaker relationship to crash risk.

• The evaluator’s findings are in line with FMCSA’s effectiveness findings; as a result, at the end of the Op-Model Test FMCSA adjusted how it identifies motor carriers for intervention to ensure BASICs with the strongest relationship to future crashes receive the most emphasis. However, FMCSA continues to address motor carriers with patterns of noncompliance in the Cargo-Related and Driver Fitness BASICs, which include carrier requirements for being properly licensed, carrying medical cards to allow verification that a driver meets the medical qualification standards, adequately securing cargo, and properly packaging and handling hazardous materials.
• As part of its ongoing commitment to continually assess and improve the SMS, FMCSA has a study underway that may result in improvements to some BASICs, with particular effect on the Cargo-Related BASIC.

There was lag time in measureable safety performance improvement after CSA investigations, and for carriers with the most serious safety problems, improvement rates were similar to those of the control group.

• FMCSA expects the upcoming Safety Fitness Determination rulemaking to accelerate return to compliance or removal from service for motor carriers with the worst safety problems.
• Based on lessons learned in the Op-Model Test, FMCSA improved the CSA investigative process and training in the Safety Management Cycle for its Federal and State Partner investigators. The enhanced investigative process allows investigators to systematically identify motor carriers’ safety problems and to recommend remedies to help carriers to quickly become safer.

View the full UMTRI Report.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently took another step towards improving safety through its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program. In the August 3, 2011 Safety Measurement System (SMS) release, FMCSA refined the criteria that determines which motor carriers are subject to the more stringent Hazardous Materials (HM) intervention threshold. This improvement, which was made after several months of careful monitoring and listening to industry and enforcement safety professionals, allows FMCSA to more accurately identify those motor carriers that transport placardable quantities of HM and thereby ensures that enforcement resources are deployed as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Background

CSA’s SMS assesses 24 months of motor carriers’ safety performance information (inspections and investigations) by seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The seven BASICs are Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related, and Crash Indicator. Every month FMCSA updates motor carriers’ percentiles in each BASIC and motor carriers with BASIC percentiles above the FMCSA threshold are prioritized for an FMCSA intervention. Motor carriers that transport placardable quantities of HM are subject to more stringent BASIC thresholds because of the higher safety risk placardable HM pose to the public in the event of a crash or a spill.

What Changed?

Previously, the HM intervention threshold was applied to motor carriers based solely on their registration information indicating they transported any quantity of HM. This resulted in some motor carriers being subjected to the lower HM threshold that in fact were not carrying placardable quantities of HM, and conversely, resulted in some carriers not being subjected to the lower HM threshold that should have been. The HM intervention threshold now applies to motor carriers that transport placardable quantities of HM based on operational evidence. These are motor carriers that meet one of the following criteria:

• Inspection in the last 24 months where the motor carrier was identified as carrying placardable quantity of HM
• Review or safety audit in the last 24 months where the motor carrier was identified as carrying placardable quantity of HM
• Motor carrier has a HM permit

For more detailed information on the HM regulations and how to comply with them, motor carriers should visit FMCSA’s Website at the following link: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/hazmat/complyhmregs.htm#hm

How Can a Motor Carrier Learn about Its Status Regarding this Change?

Motor carriers should:

1. Go to the SMS Website at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.
2. Enter their U.S. DOT or MC number on the right-hand side of the page.
3. Scroll down to the registration information at the bottom of the page.
4. View the item entitled “Subject to Placardable Hazardous Material Threshold” where they will see either a “Yes” or a “No.”
5. If the answer is “Yes,” motor carriers can click on the link where a table will outline why the motor carrier is assessed using the placardable HM threshold.

Questions and Feedback

Motor carriers can contact their local FMCSA Division Offices or the CSA technical support staff using the contact information on the CSA Outreach Website. To learn more about CSA and to stay up-to-date, subscribe to the CSA RSS feed or email list at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/stay_connected.aspx.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the July 22, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

Since the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website launched in August of 2008, we have directly responded to more than 6,500 questions from motor carriers, drivers, and others in the commercial vehicle safety industry.  In response to our visitors’ feedback, we improved several areas on the CSA Website in order to support stakeholders’ efforts to increase safety on the nation’s roads .

• The “Your Role” pages have been enhanced and a new section specifically for drivers has been added.   Each role page now contains a stakeholder-specific toolkit of CSA materials, links to important FMCSA websites, and a comprehensive list of questions and answers specific to each major stakeholder group.
• A new Resources page, where stakeholders can download a toolkit customized to their role, has replaced the previous news and media page. A new search feature allows visitors to customize their searches using keywords or simple checkboxes. The search results provide the most relevant documents as well as a list of the top five relevant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
• Functionality on the FAQs page has been improved. In addition to being able to search by keyword, website viewers can now also filter their searches by stakeholder and topic.

Please check out the improved CSA Website and continue to give us your feedback.  Together we can improve safety.

CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website updated

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the June 24, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

With the launch of the CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) in December 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to receive questions from drivers. Below is a slightly updated reprint of an earlier What’s New entry separating fact from fiction regarding CSA and drivers.

FMCSA is committed to providing all stakeholders with factual and timely information on CSA. As part of this commitment, it is important that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are aware of how CSA affects them.   

Drivers, we have heard and appreciate your questions on issues ranging from the Driver Safety Measurement System (DSMS) to the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). Here are the FACTS:

What is the DSMS?

• The SMS assesses a carrier’s safety performance based on its roadside violations and crashes. The DSMS is a tool within the SMS used by enforcement staff only. Its primary purpose is to help enforcement staff assess driver safety as part of motor carrier investigations. The DSMS does this by identifying which of a motor carrier’s drivers to examine during that carrier’s compliance review.  This enforcement tool uses a subset of violations to evaluate an individual driver’s safety performance across employers. Appendix A in the SMS Methodology Report shows the violations used in the DSMS.

Who can see the DSMS?

• Only enforcement staff have access to the DSMS for use during motor carrier safety investigations. Neither drivers nor employing motor carriers have access to the DSMS. While some third party vendors are developing and marketing CSA driver scorecards, these companies do not have access to full driver violation histories in FMCSA databases. FMCSA has not and will not validate any vendors’ scorecards or data

What is the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) and how does it impact CSA?

PSP is a new, voluntary FMCSA program mandated by Congress that is designed to assist the motor carrier industry in assessing individual drivers’ safety performance as part of the hiring process. PSP is a completely separate program from CSA. Additionally, PSP contains 3 years of inspection reports and 5 years of crash reports; however,  it does not provide a rating, score, or formal assessment of any kind. Drivers are encouraged to obtain and review their PSP report before applying for new jobs and request a review of any potentially inaccurate data through FMCSA’s DataQs program. While the PSP is not part of CSA, the safety data accessible through PSP is the same data that the DSMS and enforcement staff use during motor carrier investigations. For more information about PSP, visit FMCSA’s PSP Website at http://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov. For more information about DataQs, visit http://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov

Will FMCSA use CSA to remove CMV drivers from their jobs?

• NO CSA does not give FMCSA new authority to remove drivers from their jobs and DSMS information is not publicly shared in the way that motor carrier safety data is today. Other important facts related to driver employment are outlined below.
• • Carriers will not inherit any of a newly hired driver’s past violations. Only those inspections and crashes that a driver is involved in while operating under a carrier’s authority can be applied to a carrier’s SMS data.
  • Similar to the previous system, SafeStat, tickets or warnings that drivers receive while operating their personal vehicles do not count in the new SMS.
  • Neither FMCSA nor CSA restricts drivers based on BMI, weight, or neck size.
  • Drivers should review current and potential motor carrier employers’ SMS data which is located at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. Drivers and carriers with strong safety histories stand to benefit from the new compliance and enforcement program. 

Can FMCSA use CSA to revoke a driver’s commercial driver’s license (CDL)?

• NOCSA does not give FMCSA the authority to revoke a CDL. Only state agencies responsible for issuing CDLs have the authority to suspend or revoke them.
• The CDL Program is completely separate from CSA. FMCSA has developed and issued standards for the testing and licensing of CDL holders. These standards require states to issue CDLs only after the driver has passed knowledge and skills tests related to the type of vehicle the driver expects to operate.
• The data kept by a state (i.e. tickets, citations, written warnings, convictions) and the data that are kept by the Federal government and used in the DSMS (i.e. violations from roadside inspections and crash reports) are separate.  Drivers can review their state data by requesting their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). Drivers may review the data kept by the Federal government through the PSP program referenced above and may request a review of the Federal data through FMCSA’s DataQs system (https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/login.asp).

How does CSA affect a motor carriers’ employment of CMV drivers?

• Under CSA, FMCSA continues to hold motor carriers responsible for the safety performance of the drivers they employ. This is a longstanding FMCSA position and is not unique to CSA. All inspections and crashes that a driver receives while under the authority of a carrier will remain part of the carrier’s SMS data for two years unless overturned through the DataQs system, even if the carrier terminates the driver.

FMCSA’s CSA website is the official resource for information about this new safety program. We encourage drivers and all stakeholders to visit the CSA Website http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov and sign up to receive regular updates by email at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/stay_connected.aspx.

Know the facts, be prepared.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the April 22, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

On April 12, 2011, Department of Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, announced the results of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) recent motor coach strike force inspections, which resulted in 289 unsafe buses or drivers being removed from our roadways.  http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/news/news-releases/2011/Strike-Force-Inspections.aspx.
 
His announcement encouraged travelers considering passenger bus transportation to visit FMCSA’s website and review the company safety records at http://www.ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Passenger/home.asp, which among other things displays FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) results.
 
SMS, the foundation of FMCSA’s new Compliance Safety and Accountability (CSA) Program, is used to evaluate safety performance, and holds commercial motor vehicle companies, including motorcoach companies, accountable to the highest safety standards.  Detailed safety information for all carriers can be found at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.  
 
To learn more about FMCSA’s CSA Program go to http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the March 25, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

FMCSA 03-11
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Contact: Candice Tolliver
Tel: (202) 366-9999 or (202) 306-4580

FMCSA Reaches Settlement Agreement in National Association of Small Trucking Companies Litigation on the Compliance Safety Accountability Program

Washington, DC – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced it has reached a settlement agreement with three trucking associations that will end litigation over information published on the website of FMCSA’s motor carrier enforcement program, Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA).

"CSA is a safety-critical program that helps to reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes and save lives,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Through this settlement agreement, we addressed the concerns raised by petitioners without compromising the CSA program and its safety benefits.”

The National Association of Small Trucking Companies, Inc. (NASTC), the Expedite Alliance of North America (TEANA) and the Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Association (AEMCA) filed suit on Nov. 29, 2010 challenging FMCSA’s CSA program. Under the agreement, FMCSA will make changes to CSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) public website to address concerns regarding the display of information on a commercial motor carriers’ safety performance.

The key changes that FMCSA will make to the SMS public website by March 25, 2011 are as follows:

• Replace any ALERT symbol currently displayed in orange on the SMS website with the following symbol of the exclamation mark inside a gold triangle
• Revise the disclaimer language on the SMS website to read:
  “The data in the Safety Measurement System (SMS) is performance data used by the Agency and enforcement community. A symbol, based on that data, indicates that FMCSA may prioritize a motor carrier for further monitoring. The symbol is not intended to imply any federal safety rating of the carrier pursuant to 49 USC 31144. Readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier’s overall safety condition simply based on the data displayed in this system. Unless a motor carrier in the SMS has received an UNSATISFACTORY safety rating pursuant to 49 CFR Part 385, or has otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations by the FMCSA, it is authorized to operate on the nation’s roadways. Motor carrier safety ratings are available at http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov and motor carrier licensing and insurance status are available at http://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov.”

On Dec. 13, 2010, FMCSA launched its CSA enforcement program that is used to analyze all safety-based violations from roadside inspections and crashes to measure a commercial motor carrier's on-road safety performance. CSA allows FMCSA to reach more carriers earlier and deploy a range of corrective interventions to address a carrier's specific safety problems before crashes can occur.

To learn more about the CSA settlement agreement, visit the CSA website at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the February 25, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. 

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

On December 12, 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched its new Safety Measurement System (SMS) and industry interest has been strong.  FMCSA solicited safety stakeholders’ input during CSA’s design, development, test, and implementation phases, and it paid off with an unprecedented number of visits to the SMS Website following its launch.  In the first six weeks after SMS replaced SafeStat:

• The A&I Online Website, which is the system that houses SMS, experienced more than 5 million “hits.”
• Nearly 11,000 unique carriers logged in (four times the volume from the previous six weeks) on almost 40,000 occasions (six times the number from the prior six-week period) to view their safety data.
• The CSA “Question and Answer” function, where anyone can directly ask questions by phone or through an online form, experienced a sustained, significant increase in the volume of questions and FMCSA Division Offices across the country reported a similar increase.

Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions over the past few months are provided below.

Q. Why is SMS updated monthly?

A. The monthly SMS update timeframe allows FMCSA to prioritize motor carriers for safety interventions and to schedule FMCSA resources to conduct those interventions.  FMCSA uses this timeframe to carefully validate information and review SMS results before using them and posting them to the A&I Online Website.

Q. Are there plans to update SMS more frequently?

A. At this time, FMCSA does not plan to update the SMS results more often than monthly.

Q. Some third-party vendors provide more frequent “CSA scores.”  Does FMCSA use or validate any analyses provided by third-party vendors?

A. FMCSA does not use, validate, or vouch for any third-party vendor’s information related to SMS results. The monthly results displayed on A&I Online are the only SMS results that FMCSA uses.

To learn more about SMS or to get answers to other FAQs, visit the CSA outreach website at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new tipsheet helps motor carriers understand what a warning letter is and recommends actions they can take to improve safety compliance.  Warning letters are an important part of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) interventions process.  FMCSA sends warning letters to motor carriers who have identifiable, but not yet severe, safety problems. 
 
The new tipsheet, which will be useful for motor carriers who receive a warning letter, can be found at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/WarningLetterTipsheet.pdf.

 
In addition, a more general factsheet about the warning letter intervention can be found at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/CSA2010_WarningLetterFactsheet.pdf.  This factsheet provides a sample warning letter and some frequently asked questions. 
 
Stay connected to CSA by signing up for the email subscription service at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/subscription.aspx.

The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the February 10, 2011 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

 
NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

 The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the December 17, 2010 snapshot.  Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.

NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

Tune in to the Dave Nemo radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171, on Thursday, January 13th at 8:05 a.m. EST, to hear from FMCSA about the CSA program.

Beginning today, January 12, 2011, CSA brochures and pocket cards for Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers will be available at hundreds of travel centers across the country.  These materials provide important information to CMV drivers about the new CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS).  They will be available in “Info to Go” racks at large travel center chains, and in countertop containers at independent truck stops.
 
The pocket cards and brochures are also posted electronically on the CSA outreach website on the Outreach and Media page:  http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/outreach.aspx#factsheets  with instructions for printing.  

FMCSA Launches New Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Program for Commercial Trucks and Buses

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today took a major step toward improving commercial truck and bus safety with the launch of the Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) program.

The centerpiece of CSA is the Safety Measurement System (SMS), which will analyze all safety-based violations from inspections and crash data to determine a commercial motor carrier’s on-road performance. The new safety program will allow FMCSA to reach more carriers earlier and deploy a range of corrective interventions to address a carrier’s specific safety problems.

 
“The CSA program will help us more easily identify unsafe commercial truck and bus companies,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Better data and targeted enforcement will raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and empower them to take action before safety problems occur.” 

 
The program also advances the Obama Administration’s open government initiative by providing the public with safety data in a more user-friendly format.  This will give consumers a better picture of those carriers that pose a safety risk.  CSA was also tested in nine pilot states before the program was launched.

“We worked closely with our partners in the motor vehicle community to develop this powerful new program,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “CSA is an important new tool that will help reduce commercial vehicle-related crashes and save lives.”  

The SMS uses seven safety improvement categories called BASICs to examine a carrier’s on-road performance and potential crash risk. The BASICs are Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related and Crash Indicator. Under FMCSA’s old measurement system, carrier performance was assessed in only four broad categories.

 
By looking at a carrier’s safety violations in each SMS category, FMCSA and state law enforcement will be better equipped to identify carriers with patterns of high-risk behaviors and apply interventions that provide carriers the information necessary to change unsafe practices early on.

Safety interventions include early warning letters, targeted roadside inspections and focused compliance reviews that concentrate enforcement resources on specific issues identified by the SMS.

 
FMCSA will continue to conduct onsite comprehensive compliance reviews for carriers with safety issues across multiple BASICs. And, where a carrier has not taken the appropriate corrective action, FMCSA will invoke strong civil penalties.

 
To learn more about the new CSA program, visit http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/. To see the new SMS, visit http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.   PLEASE NOTE: For parties interested in downloading data for more than one carrier, please visit the SMS Download page at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Data/Downloads.aspx. 

The Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) program’s national rollout will occur no earlier than December 12, 2010, despite reports to the contrary. We appreciate the continued support as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) moves forward towards implementing this important new safety enforcement and compliance program.

Tune in to the Dave Nemo radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171, on Thursday, November 18th at 8:05 a.m. EST, to hear from FMCSA about the upcoming CSA 2010 rollout and what carriers can expect.

On Tuesday, October 19th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, tune in to the Land Line Now radio show to hear from FMCSA about the CSA 2010 Data Preview and red-flag violations on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171. Please note that this show was previously taped and is not live.

 
The CSA 2010 Data Preview website has been updated with the September 24, 2010 snapshot.  Login to the Data Preview website now to check your safety assessment.

PLEASE NOTE: You will need a FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN) to access the CSA 2010 Data Preview website. If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.

Listen to FMCSA dispel myths about the CSA 2010 program Monday, September 27th on The Lockridge Report at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Road Dog Trucking channel, SIRIUS 147 and XM 171.

Did You Know…While some third party vendors are developing and marketing Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) driver scorecards, consumers should know that these companies do not have access to the driver violation histories in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) databases despite some claims that they do. FMCSA has not and will not validate any vendors’ scorecards or data.

Check out Just the Facts that addresses other myths about CSA 2010.

Did You Know... While research data indicate that a driver's body mass index (BMI) is a risk factor for identifying drivers that may have sleep apnea, neither the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) nor the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) program currently has any rules that restrict who can be a commercial motor vehicle driver based on BMI or weight or neck size.

Check out Just the Facts that addresses other myths about CSA 2010.

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, identify any data mistakes, verify and update their motor carrier census data, in particular power units (PU) and vehicle miles travelled (VMT) on the MCS-150 form, and take the necessary steps to correct unsafe driver and/or company safety practices.

More Information
Complete details on the Data Preview are available through Data Preview Guidance (FAQs), the new SMS Methodology Version 2.0 and SMS Changes Explanation. FMCSA has responded to field test results and stakeholder feedback to improve SMS. To learn more about CSA 2010, and to stay updated during the coming months, subscribe to the CSA 2010 RSS feed or email list at: http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/Stay_Connected.aspx.

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 of exposure will be changed from Power Units (PUs) only to a combination of PUs and Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) in the Unsafe Driving BASIC and Crash Indicator. In addition, these two BASICs will change from using PUs as a safety event grouping (formerly referred to as peer grouping) to using the number of crashes for the Crash Indicator and the number of inspections with a violation for the Unsafe Driving BASIC.
• The measure of exposure will change from PUs to the number of relevant inspections in the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC;
• Severity weights for some roadside inspection violations will be updated; and
• The Agency will employ a more strategic approach to addressing motor carriers with a history of size and weight violations rather than counting these violations in the Cargo-Related BASIC; the new approach will include alerts to roadside inspectors when carriers have a history of size and weight violations.

These enhancements will allow the Agency to more effectively identify motor carriers with safety performance and compliance problems thereby raising the bar for safety on the Nation’s roads. For additional details about the Data Preview and the improvements to the SMS, visit: http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/SMSImprovementsFAQs.pdf

Preliminary University of Michigan Transportation Institute (UMTRI) Findings: FMCSA’s 30-month field test of CSA 2010 has drawn keen interest from the trucking industry, including trade publications. Recently one of these publications reported preliminary findings provided by FMCSA’s independent evaluator, UMTRI, that indicate that while the majority of the BASICs have a strong relationship to future crashes, two of the seven – Driver Fitness and Cargo-Related - do not. The question was raised whether these findings would delay implementation.

In the interest of safety, and based on promising field test results, FMCSA’s implementation of CSA 2010 will continue according to its published schedule available at: http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/csa_when.aspx. The SMS was designed to: (1) Identify high-risk motor carriers for priority intervention; those that have a greater propensity to be involved in future crashes, and (2) Identify motor carriers with patterns of on-road performance and compliance issues for intervention. SMS does both very well.

With respect to identifying high risk carriers, FMCSA effectiveness testing results demonstrate that those carriers that SMS identifies as “high-risk” have much higher future crash rates than those carriers not designated as high risk. Additionally, the effectiveness testing shows SMS identifies a group of carriers with higher crash risk than the system currently in use known as SafeStat.

SMS clearly identifies motor carriers with compliance issues as well, regardless of whether those compliance issues are linked to future crash risk through effectiveness testing. Congress has been clear that the FMCSA is a compliance and enforcement agency. While the effectiveness testing may not establish a relationship with future crashes in the Driver Fitness and Cargo-Related BASICs, FMCSA, as well as industry, has an obligation to ensure compliance with the regulations that contribute to these two BASICs. These two BASICs include being properly licensed, carrying medical cards to allow verification that a driver meets the medical qualification standards, adequately securing cargo, and properly packaging and handling hazardous materials.

UMTRI’s preliminary findings are in line with FMCSA’s effectiveness findings in terms of future crash risk. In response, FMCSA has adjusted how it identifies carriers for investigation so that the BASICs that have the strongest relationship to future crashes receive the most emphasis. In this way, FMCSA will address those carriers with the highest propensity for future crashes as well as those with the strongest patterns of noncompliance.

To learn more about CSA 2010, and to stay updated during the coming months, subscribe to the CSA 2010 RSS feed or email list at http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov.

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.

 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!

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.

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.)

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.
• Winter 2010 - Safety Fitness Determination Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is scheduled to be released.
• 2011 – Enforcement staff will be trained, and new interventions will be implemented State-by-State

FMCSA Administrator, Anne S. Ferro, responded to the most prominent concerns of the American Trucking Assocation, Inc., (ATA) regarding CSA 2010.  View the April 16, 2010 letter to ATA now!

The new presentation, CSA 2010 for Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Drivers, can be used to educate drivers about CSA 2010.  In addition to covering what CSA 2010 means to drivers, the presentation serves to clarify misinformation concerning drivers under CSA 2010. If you are a driver or need to educate drivers check out this presentation.

Motor carriers, if you haven’t already, please take time to review your company through the CSA 2010 Data Preview.  With a DOT number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) provided by FMCSA, you can review your safety performance data by the CSA 2010 Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs).  (If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, visit this link and select 'I want to request a copy of a document' (last selection on page) or call 1-800-832-5660 for assistance.)

FMCSA is pleased to announce the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010 Data Preview, which will allow individual motor carriers to review their safety performance data by the CSA 2010 Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The Data Preview begins on April 12, 2010 and ends on November 30, 2010, the national launch date for the CSA 2010 safety enforcement program.  
 
During the data preview period, motor carriers are encouraged to closely examine their performance data and immediately address any safety problems.  This is also an opportunity for motor carriers to update and verify their safety performance data online.
 
This important step is designed to focus motor carriers on identifying and addressing unsafe behaviors that can lead to crash risk. It also underscores FMCSA’s commitment to data integrity and the motor carrier industry’s responsibility for ensuring commercial vehicle safety.  
 
Complete details on the Data Preview and the CSA 2010 implementation schedule are published in the Federal Register. The CSA 2010 implementation schedule supports the critical importance of incorporating the findings from over 30 months of operational model testing in nine CSA 2010 pilot states.

Videos of CSA 2010’s Listening Sessions are now available for viewing.  However, for the latest information please review the Industry Briefing.  It’s continually updated as we move towards implementation.  Also check out the Frequently Asked Questions gathered through the Listening Sessions. They have been added to the website’s FAQ area.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched the first phase of its Driver Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), which when fully active will allow commercial motor carrier companies to electronically access driver safety inspection and crash records as a part of the hiring process. The first phase provides motor carriers the opportunity to visit the PSP website at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov and pre-register for the program by submitting their company contact information.  Frequently Asked Questions are also available on the website.  If you have additional questions about PSP, please contact the PSP program directly as it is not part of FMCSA’s CSA 2010 program.

Did You Know?   CSA 2010’s array of interventions starts with the warning letter which is often the earliest contact in the new model. The warning letter is designed to make carriers aware of their safety performance issues so they can address these early, before they become habitual and more difficult to correct. Check out a Sample Warning Letter and related FAQs in the new Warning Letter Factsheet.

Did You Know?  A total of 3,067 stakeholders participated in the December 3rd and 10th Listening Sessions, submitting more than 1,150 questions!  The CSA 2010 team has analyzed the questions and is compiling answers to those that were asked most frequently.  The question below represents one of those most frequently asked. Also, check out the new Driver Fact Sheet designed to inform CMV drivers about what CSA 2010 means to them.   Stay tuned for more questions and answers over the coming weeks!
 
Will CSA 2010 assign safety ratings to individual commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers? I heard that CSA 2010 is designed to rate CMV drivers and to put many of them out of work this summer.
 
No. Under CSA 2010, individual CMV drivers will not be assigned safety ratings or safety fitness determinations. Consistent with the current safety rating regulations (49 CFR part 385), individual drivers will continue to be rated, as they are today, following an onsite investigation at their place of business when they operate independently as a "motor carrier" (i.e. have their own USDOT number, operating authority, and insurance). CSA 2010 will provide enhanced tools for Safety Investigators to identify and address drivers with poor safety records as part of motor carrier investigations in order to increase driver accountability for safe driving behavior. CSA 2010 is designed to meet one overriding objective: to increase safety on the Nation's roads. Therefore, it is, by design, a positive program for drivers and carriers with strong safety performance records Also, it will send a strong message that drivers and carriers with poor safety performance histories need to improve.

We've recently added several new CSA 2010 outreach documents to the website.  Take a few minutes to check them out!

Did You Know?  FMCSA’s December 3rd and 10th public listening sessions on CSA 2010 each drew an audience of nearly 1,500. Attendees included commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers, CMV carrier company representatives, safety advocates, insurance and shipping industry stakeholders, government officials, and journalists.  More than 95% of respondents to an exit poll said the information they received about CSA 2010 was useful and that the webcast format was effective.  
Participants submitted more than 1,000 questions, and panel members and presenters answered many of these during the webcasts.  The 2009 listening session presentations are now available online.  The recorded webcasts will be posted on the CSA 2010 outreach website by the end of January so stay tuned!

Did You Know?  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) December 3rd public listening session on Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) was a big success, with 1,483 motor carriers, safety advocates, insurance industry and government  staff logged into the webcast – twenty times as many registrants as in previous years!  The second session, being held on December 10th, will address what CSA 2010 means for motor carriers and drivers.  The recorded webcasts will be transcribed to be compliant with FMCSA website requirements, and posted to the CSA 2010 website by the middle of January 2010. 

We've recently added new materials to the CSA 2010 website.  They include several Spanish and French-language versions of outreach materials as well as the following documents.  Take a few minutes to check them out! 

Did You Know? This month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will hold its tenth Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) public listening session. More than 1500 people are registered for the two-part webinar, including motor carriers, safety advocates, and representatives from the insurance industry, government and media.  The sessions will be held December 3rd and 10th and will provide an overview of the CSA 2010 Operational Model and address what CSA 2010 means for motor carriers and drivers. 

Earlier this month, Delaware became the ninth state to join the CSA 2010 Operational Model (OM) Test!  The OM Test now includes 92,094 motor carriers, and test results are promising. 

• Safety Investigators are conducting 20 percent more investigations per investigator
• Approximately 50 percent of investigations have resulted in a follow-on intervention such as a Cooperative Safety Plan, Notice of Violation or Notice of Claim
• More than 4,000 warning letters have been sent to motor carriers, and about half of those carriers have followed up to learn more about their safety performance.

Did you know? So far this fall, FMCSA has briefed the following three groups of legislative staff on the status of the CSA 2010 Operational Model Test and plans for implementation. 

• U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee
• U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

The Congressional Briefing is available at: http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/CongressionalBriefing_10222009.ppt.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will be holding two public listening session webinars in December about the Agency’s Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) initiative.  Previous listening sessions collected public input regarding ways FMCSA could improve its process of monitoring and assessing the safety performance of the commercial motor carrier industry.

The FMCSA will use the upcoming listening session webinars to inform the public on the latest progress of CSA 2010 and answer questions from stakeholders.  The first webinar will be held on Thursday, December 3, 2009 and present CSA 2010 Overview and Operational Model Test Results.  The second webinar will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2009 and present CSA 2010 from a Motor Carrier and Driver Perspective.  

Your participation in these listening session webinars is encouraged.  To register and submit questions for the webinars, please visit http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/listeningSessions/ by November 30, 2009.  Also, written comments regarding CSA 2010 can be filed to the Federal Docket Management System at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID Number FMCSA-2004-18898. 

This week Maryland officially became the eighth CSA 2010 Operational Model test state and 21,290 Maryland-domiciled carriers will now be assessed using the new Safety Measurement System.  Any safety problems that are identified will be addressed using the new CSA 2010 interventions process.  The new interventions include warning letters, offsite investigations and on-site focused investigations in addition to the on-site comprehensive investigations used to address carriers with the most serious safety problems.

We've recently added new materials to the CSA 2010 website.  They include the latest issue of the CSA 2010 Dispatch and several recent CSA 2010 briefings given to Congress, OOIDA, and ATA.  Take a few minutes to check them out!

October has already been filled with a rich set of outreach and implementation activities including a panel discussion and an active information booth at the American Trucking Association (ATA) conference October 4 through October 7, a briefing and question and answer session with the Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) on October 14th, and a Federal State Working Group meeting hosted by Minnesota, a new test state, October 6 to 8.  Stay tuned for more information on these events and others as full implementation draws closer!

The Roadside Inspection Program conducts 3 million inspections each year, providing a wealth of information on most active commercial motor vehicles (CMV) operating in the United States.  Under the CSA 2010 Operational Model, the new Safety Measurement System uses all roadside inspection results to compile a carrier’s safety profile, not just out-of-service or moving violations.  This means that Roadside Inspectors will play an even greater role in helping to reduce CMV crashes and make the roads safer for everyone.   Be sure to check out the new factsheet for Roadside Inspectors!

September has been an active month for CSA 2010 communication and outreach activities.
 
Some of the highlights from this month:

• CSA 2010 Operational Model test representatives participated in a panel discussion at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s fall conference in Baltimore, Maryland 
• Operational Model Test Division Administrators hosted 3 interactive webinars for their non-test state peers
• CSA 2010 representatives introduced the new approach to organizations such as:
  • National Private Truck Council 
  • North American Transportation Services Association 
  • Several state-level trucking associations 
     

Similar events are planned in October and November.  Stay tuned!

Kansas officially became the seventh Operational Model test state in mid-September!  Industry outreach activities began over the summer and are continuing as the new program gets underway.  All Federal and state investigators and program managers in Kansas completed an intensive week-long training course and are now employing the new Safety Measurement System and new interventions process to improve carrier safety.

More Webinars to Follow

The first in a series of Webinars on the implementation of CSA 2010 and its impact upon FMCSA’s workforce took place August 18.  Division Administrators from CSA 2010 test states discussed changes and answered questions from their peers including: 

• Are the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) changing? ANSWER: No.  The Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) notice of proposed rulemaking is under development but CSA 2010 implementation is not dependent on SFD.
•  Will Field Staff have to re-apply for new job positions?  ANSWER: No. Job and grades are not changing.
• Will training on the new CSA 2010 safety measurement system and new interventions processes be provided?  ANSWER: Yes. Training for Field Staff and State partners will begin next year.

Get Up To Speed on the Coming Changes!

The Safety Measurement System (SMS) will replace SafeStat as the new tool to measure carriers’ safety performance when CSA 2010 rolls out next year.  SMS uses all safety-based inspection violations and applies time weighting and severity weighting to calculate measures. Each month, SMS measures two years of crash, inspection and violation data to evaluate carrier performance in seven safety behavior categories, called BASICS (Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories).  The SMS uses the measures to assign a percentile ranking for all carriers within each BASIC. Today, SMS is working well in the six Operational Model test states.

FMCSA has launched a new website to serve as the communications center piece for its program CSA 2010. The new site includes the following:

• General information about the CSA 2010
• Outreach material including fact sheets, brochures, and briefings
• Frequently Asked Questions about CSA 2010

Do you have feedback about the site or can’t find a certain piece of information? Contact us via email to send us your comments or questions.

FMCSA’s CSA 2010 initiative has grabbed the attention of the American Trucking Associations, one of the largest and most influential trucking organizations in the United States.  ATA has assembled a working group of safety directors from its member companies to help prepare for CSA 2010.

On Wednesday, August 5th, FMCSA met with members of that group as part of the Agency’s ongoing effort to reach out to industry stakeholders about upcoming CSA 2010 changes.  During the meeting, FMCSA and ATA discussed a range of topics including the timing of roll-out and the weighting of violations in the CSA 2010 Safety Measurement System (SMS).

Intervention Managers from the six test states met with FMCSA CSA 2010 Development Team members last week to share lessons learned, esolve issues, and make practical improvements to the new operational model in continued preparation for national roll out next year.

The Federal-State Working Group (FSWG) has been in place since the beginning of the test. Captain Mark Savage of the Colorado State Patrol reports that: "CSA 2010 was developed from the ground level up with close collaboration between state partners and federal enforcement personnel and from that perspective it is unique and effective." According to Savage, CSA 2010 has "...increased the integrity of my entire program in Colorado because of the increased emphasis, not just on investigations, but also on the data that’s collected on the roadside and thereby focusing more attention and resources towards the most important goal of the program, reducing crashes."

The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) is not only Canada’s largest trucking organization, it is also the third largest in all of North America. OTA is an important FMCSA stakeholder.

On July 21, 2009, Bryan Price, Senior Transportation Specialist at FMCSA, led a Webinar on CSA 2010 for OTA members. His presentation included an overview of the program as well as an update on the Operational Model Test currently underway.

One area of interest by the OTA membership was the inclusion of time-weighted, on-road safety performance data using all safety-based violations in determining scores through the new Safety Measurement System (SMS). This is a new feature in CSA 2010. Price explained, “FMCSA wants results to be as reflective as possible of a carrier's current safety status, and does not want to overwhelm the system with old data which may disproportionately influence the scores if the carrier has improved over the two year period.

Similar CSA 2010 outreach efforts to stakeholders will continue to take place throughout the year.

FMCSA is sending warning letters to carriers in the six test states whose on-road safety performance data indicates a safety problem in one or more of the Behavioral Analysis Safety Information Categories (BASICs) - and the responses have been notably positive!

Of the 3,000 warning letters sent to date, over 45% of carriers receiving them have logged in to view their safety scores. Daniel Drexler, Minnesota Division Administrator, a test state DA, observed, "As a result of the warning letters sent to Minnesota carriers, we have spoken with many carrier officials who thanked us for notifying them about their safety problems."

According to Drexler, "We found that once carrier officials understand that the new system enables them to identify their problem drivers, a light goes on.  They see CSA 2010 as a tool to reinforce for drivers the importance of roadside inspections, and to hold drivers accountable for on-road safety performance, and therefore improve their companies’ overall safety performance."

On June 22, Federal and State Operational Model test Safety Investigators (SI) met via teleconference to share best practices. In discussions about changes to work processes driven by the new business processes, the SIs did not express any major concerns, supporting the CSA 2010 workforce analysis results that grades and jobs are safe!

In fact SIs' jobs in CSA 2010 will have an even greater impact on safety and will be more interesting and diverse due to the array of interventions available to deal with safety issues!

The SIs also focused on the response from carriers in test states. They reported that carriers appreciated the additional safety guidance the CSA 2010 process offers, and in particular, are open to assistance about how to address problems in order to improve safe travel for commercial vehicle drivers and the motoring public.

This summer’s field staff in-service training includes a forum for Operation Model (OpModel) test participants to share their experiences and to engage in an open exchange of questions and answers with their non-test counterparts.  Recently, when State Safety Enforcement Investigator, Steff Copeland was asked to leave just one thought with her peers about her experience with CSA 2010, she answered:

"Keep an open mind...CSA 2010 is a change but it’s a very effective change and change can be good. It is an efficient and effective way to contact carriers and make a difference."

-Steff Copeland, State Safety Enforcement Investigator, Missouri DOT

The peer-to-peer sessions will provide field staff with a direct opportunity to hear even more from their OpModel test counterparts about the issues that are most important to them!

Training for additional test state field staff was conducted last week in Massachusetts and a second session will be offered in Missouri in July. Representatives from the operational model test states are joining the CSA 2010 Training Team to share their on-the-ground knowledge and experience by training their peers.

Jim Dearing, a Missouri Safety Investigator and new CSA 2010 instructor states, “As an SI in one of the original test states, I was a vocal skeptic early on. However, my experience over the past 18 months has changed my mind. I believe that the new approach to the investigative process and its associated applications are the most dynamic and innovative compilation of tools and resources FMCSA has developed in its history. I am not only enthusiastic but proud to be involved in educating others as the Agency prepares for rollout nationwide.”

FMCSA field staff and state partners will all receive this CSA 2010 training as a key part of implementation next year! The training includes real-world examples focusing on investigations using CSA 2010’s approach, and provides hands-on sessions to introduce the new measurement system and new tools.

Safety Investigators from Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, and New Jersey Division Offices and State Partner organizations recently met in Denver to lend their real-world expertise to the development of software tools that will be used in the field to support CSA 2010 interventions when CSA 2010 rolls out next year.

With participation from FMCSA's IT Development Division, and technical support from North Dakota State University and the Volpe Center, the group reviewed the proposed CSA 2010 intervention process, from pre-investigation through follow-up. Their essential input provided on-the-ground knowledge of how the next generation suite of tools can be developed to support CSA 2010 roll out next year!

Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA 2010) is an FMCSA initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. At a workshop May 20-21, experts from FMCSA’s IT Development Division and the CSA 2010 Program collaborated on next generation safety applications that will deliver the most up-to-date, comprehensive information available on drivers and carriers to safety investigators nationwide when CSA 2010 rolls out next year.

"Having all of the motor carriers’ data in one central location, including crash data, inspection data, driver information, etc. is a very critical management tool to ensure we’re targeting the right carriers for the most efficient and effective interventions." Dave Yessen, Federal Programs Manager New Jersey Division (CSA 2010 Interventions Manager)