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FMCSA Announces the Preview of the Proposed Safety Measurement System Website Display Changes
November 04, 2013
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing enhancements to the display of information on the SMS Website. The proposed redesign is intended to advance FMCSA’s safety mission by making important information easier to understand for motor carriers who want to improve their safety performance and for public users interested in FMCSA data. In keeping with its dedication to transparency and commitment to consistently improve the SMS, FMCSA is providing a preview of the SMS Website display. These proposed enhancements do not include changes to the SMS methodology.
These proposed changes aim to:
- Provide easier, more intuitive navigation and user-friendly features
- Provide a “one-stop-shop” for FMCSA safety information for the public, motor carriers, and industry
- Retain and provide easy access to detailed information and new performance monitoring tools
During the preview, law enforcement, motor carriers, and the public are able to view the proposed new features.
- Carriers may preview how their data would appear publicly, if the proposed changes were implemented by logging into the FMCSA Portal and selecting SMS Preview using their U.S. DOT Number and PIN on https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMSPreview/.
- The public may view the proposed changes by looking at sample carrier data available at https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMSPreview/.
The SMS provides motor carriers and other safety stakeholders, with regularly updated safety performance assessments. FMCSA first announced the implementation of the SMS in a Federal Register notice dated April 9, 2010 (75 FR 18256) (Docket No. FMCSA-2004-18898) and announced further improvements to the SMS in Federal Register notices dated March 27, 2012 (77 FR 18298) (Docket No. FMCSA-2012-0074) and August 28, 2012 (77 FR 52110) (Docket No. FMCSA-2004-18898).
Since the launch of the SMS, FMCSA expected to make enhancements as new data and additional analyses became available. As stated in its March 27, 2012 Federal Register notice, FMCSA plans to apply a systematic approach to making improvements to SMS, prioritizing and releasing packages of improvements as needed. Consistent with its prior announcements, the Agency proposes changes to the design of the SMS public Website that are the direct result of feedback from stakeholders regarding the information displayed. The Agency is not proposing changes to the SMS methodology at this time.
Learn more by attending a webinar: Motor carriers and other interested stakeholders are invited to attend a webinar that will explain the proposed SMS display changes and answer frequently asked questions. Webinars will take place on the following dates and times:
- Monday, November 18, 2013, 12-1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- Thursday, November 21, 2013, 1:30-3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
- Friday, November 22, 2013, 11:30-1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Registration is required to attend one of these sessions and interested parties should register as soon as possible through FMCSA’s National Training Center at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ntc/webinarinfo/CSA_Improvements_Webinar-FMCSA.pdf.
Share your input: The 60-day SMS Preview comment period begins on November 5, 2013. A posting of the Federal Register Notice (https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-26543) outlining the changes is available for review. Written comments regarding the changes can be filed to the Federal Docket Management System (http://www.regulations.gov/), Docket ID Number FMCSA-2013-26543. FMCSA will review comments and make any necessary changes prior to implementation.
Questions or concerns: The CSA Outreach Website has technical assistants who can answer motor carrier questions about the SMS Website display as well as the CSA program itself. Questions can be submitted by phone (877-254-5365). Comments to the proposed display changes should be submitted to the Federal Docket management System after the Federal Register Notice is published.
Stay connected: Subscribe to the CSA Website to keep abreast of current program information at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/subscription.aspx.
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December 09, 2013
FMCSA Seeks Feedback on Proposal to Improve Reporting of Inspection Violation Data
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published a proposal in the Federal Register to improve the quality and uniformity of violation data across FMCSA systems. The proposed changes will allow court outcomes on contested citations to be incorporated in the Agency’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) database. These changes would impact how violations are displayed and used in the Safety Measurement System (SMS) and the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP).
The Agency is proposing that, in early 2014, motor carriers and drivers could request inclusion of adjudication information for citations associated with violations in MCMIS inspection reports by submitting Requests for Data Review (RDRs) through FMCSA’s DataQs system (https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov). Motor carriers and drivers would have to upload court outcome documentation in order for the States to review the RDRs and record the court outcomes.
FMCSA’s SMS and PSP would, correspondingly, reflect court outcomes. These systems would retain the violation when it resulted in a conviction; remove the violation when found not guilty or the violation was dismissed; and indicate the violation when the court outcome shows a conviction of a different charge. When the court outcome shows a conviction of a different charge, the SMS severity weight tied to the violation will be reduced to the lowest possible value (1).
The Federal Register Notice provides additional information about FMCSA’s proposed new processes for documenting in its data systems. The 30-day comment period will end on January 2, 2014. We encourage your feedback on the proposed changes. (https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-28795)
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