Ready?? You may even be asking, “What is CSA 2010?” Whether you are prepared and just want to “DOT” the I’s and cross the T’s, or you are scrambling and need a “crash” course (pardon the puns), here’s an overview of information from the official FMCSA site, http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/about/, to help position your fleet for the November 30, 2010 enforcement roll out:
What Is CSA?
“Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV)-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. It introduces a new enforcement and compliance model that allows FMCSA and its State Partners to contact a larger number of carriers earlier in order to address safety problems before crashes occur. Rolling out the program by the end of 2010 will establish a new nationwide system for making the roads safer for motor carriers and the public alike!”
Why Is There a New System?
“Since the 1970s, Federal and State enforcement agencies in partnership with many other stakeholders have progressively reduced the rate of commercial vehicle crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities on our Nation’s highways.
The rate of crash reduction slowed, prompting FMCSA to take a fresh look at how the agency evaluates the safety of motor carriers and drivers and to explore ways to improve its safety monitoring, evaluation, and intervention processes. CSA 2010 is the result of this comprehensive examination.”
How Will It Work?
“CSA 2010 re-engineers the existing enforcement and compliance business process to provide a better view into how well large commercial motor vehicle (CMV) carriers and drivers are complying with safety rules, and to intervene earlier with those who are not. As the program is rolled out in 2010, FMCSA will establish a new enforcement and compliance Operational Model that will utilize its resources, and those of its State enforcement partners, more efficiently and effectively, making the roads even safer for everyone.”
“Within the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA 2010) Operational Model, the Safety Measurement System (SMS) quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates for interventions, to determine the specific safety problems exhibited by a carrier or driver, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening. SMS replaces SafeStat in the new Operational Model.”
“The carrier SMS uses a motor carrier’s data from roadside inspections, including all safety-based violations, State-reported crashes, and the Federal motor carrier census to quantify performance in the following Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs).”
How Can Managed Mobile Help?
From a fleet maintenance perspective, BASIC defects such as brakes out of adjustment, inoperative lights, and other mechanical defects identified at roadside inspections, will now have a cumulative negative affect on a carrier’s Safety Fitness Determination (SFD). Therefore, it’s as important as ever to have a proactive fleet maintenance program in place that includes preventative maintenance and predictive repairs. This type of program is essential to safety, compliance, and the bottom line.