Compliance Safety Accountability (), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) program that calculates fleets’ safety scores and determines which fleets warrant intervention, was introduced nationwide earlier this year, and carriers are continuing to review their safety data and determine what inspectors are focusing on at roadside inspections.
Since February, FMCSA has sent more than 40,000 warning letters to carriers. The warning letters alert carriers to safety compliance problems in one of the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICS) that CSA tracks.
The BASICS are made up of seven areas, with fleets receiving a score for each. They include unsafe driving; fatigued driving; driver fitness; alcohol/drugs; vehicle maintenance; cargo securement; and crash history.
In addition to alerting carriers to compliance problems, the letters outline possible consequences of continued safety programs and instruct carriers on how to check their safety data in the Safety Measurement System (SMS) online. FMCSA looks at data from the past 24 months.
Under CSA, the FMCSA is collecting additional data and segmenting it down further than it has in the past. CSA is replacing FMCSA’s SafeStat system, which counted only out-of-service and select traffic enforcement violations.
CSA incorporates all safety-related violations recorded in roadside inspections. So far in 2011, there have been 2,318,304 inspections and 4,511,539 violations. Top violations include inoperative required lamps, defective lighting, tire tread depth less than 2/32 inches and oil and/or grease leaks.
Violations found at roadside carry different weights. Knowing the values associated with specific components may help carriers identify areas they want to focus on during pre-trip inspections. For example, flat tires and/or audible air leaks are weighted as an eight, stop lamp violations a six and excessive oil leaks a three.
Carriers have reported that enforcement can vary widely from state to state. Steve Bryan, chief executive officer of software provider Vigillo, said Texas focuses on lights and lamps and Indiana focuses on speeding, while Oregon and Georgia focus on log violations.
“You need to understand where you’re operating and what the focus areas in those states are and inform your drivers,” Bryan said.
Carriers can review violations by state on . Visit PenskeTruckLeasing.com for more information on CSA, which includes a video and downloadable report.
By “Move Ahead” Staff
What’s more, cargo theft rates increase an average of 28 percent over long weekends and holidays, which can cause long delays for drivers attempting to deliver loads. Carriers should be especially vigilant over the Thanksgiving holiday, which typically has a high theft rate, Burges said.
Penske has been named to G.I. Jobs magazine’s .
“The industry is changing so fast we have to keep pace with these changes,” said technical training board member Ed Glaessmann (pictured right), a high-level technician in Pennsylvania. Glaessmann, paired with Robert Anthony (now a Pa. maintenance supervisor), won back-to-back titles at Penske’s national technical challenge event, a competition designed to test preventive maintenance knowledge.
Burke has learned more about the training process during his time on the board, and is looking forward to helping ensure “that we’re lining up our training with the changing needs of our businesses.”
The availability of qualified truck drivers is always a long-term industry concern, but rebounding freight volumes in 2010 have brought the driver shortage issue back to the forefront and numbers continue to rise. 
NPTC reported that private fleet owners report retention and turnover rates that are better than their for-hire peers. NPTC members report turnover of 10.6 percent, which is up slightly from the 10 percent reported last year. 
The IFDA is a trade organization of food service distributors serving operations throughout the U.S., Canada, and other countries. 
The start of the school year brings with it heavier traffic and professional drivers will want to be even more aware of their surroundings while navigating residential areas, traveling the interstate and making deliveries at the nation’s big box retailers.
Back-to-school season hits at the same time as big-box retailers are stocking their shelves for school-bound and holiday shoppers alike.