What It Means for Great Dane Customers Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010

What Is CSA 2010? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) enhanced measurement tool used to track the safety problems of motor carriers and their drivers. The data is used to alert carriers and intervene before problems worsen, which is intended to help achieve CSA 2010’s overall goal of reducing truck crashes.

What Is CSA 2010? This FMSCA initiative that works to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce CMV-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. This will be done by monitoring individual driver safety and performance; addressing driver problems across multiple employers; and holding motor carriers and drivers accountable.

When Will It Be Enforced? Full implementation of CSA 2010 is expected by Nov. 30. Between now and then, the FMSCA is dedicated to educating carriers about the process and how it may affect them. For more information, visit

How Does It Work? The Safety Measurement System (SMS) quantifies on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify when an intervention is needed. Data from roadside inspections, including safety violations, state- reported crashes and the federal motor carrier census are used to quantify performance using the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs).

How Does SMS Work? The new Driver Safety Measurement System (SMS) enables Safety Investigators (SI) to evaluate roadside performance of drivers across employers for a three year period. Carrier history is maintained in the CSA database for two years.

How Does SMS Work? Carriers and drivers are scored using the following methodology. A violation is weighted for severity and time since even. A warning is treated as violations by the system. Severity weight rates violations from 1 (least severe) to 10 (most severe).

What Are the BASICs? Unsafe Driving Fatigued Driving (Hours of Service) Driver Fitness Controlled Substances/Alcohol Vehicle Maintenance Cargo-Related Crash Indicator

What Are the BASICs? Time weight places greater emphasis on recent violations: 3=past 12 months; 2=between 12 and 24 months; 1=24 to 36 months. Percentile ranking is determined by comparing BASIC measurements of the carrier to the peer group. Deficiency status is a percentile ranking that indicates when a carrier has exceeded a threshold and action must be taken.

What Are the Top 10 Violations? (preliminary weights shown for driver and equipment violations) DRIVEREQUIPMENT Log Violation (2) Inoperable Lamp (6) Duty Record Not Current (5)Defective Lighting (6) Speeding (5)Size-and-Weight Violation (7) No Medical Certificate (1)Tire Tread Depth (8) Non-English Speaking Driver (6) Brake Hose (4) Driving After 14 Hours on Duty (7)Parts Inspection/Repair (2) Failing to Use Seat Belts (1)Oil Leak (3) False Report of Record of Duty Status (7) Operating CMV w/o Inspection (3) Driving More than 11 Hours (7)No Fire Extinguisher (2) Failure to Obey Traffic Signal (5)Brake Out of Adjustment (4)

How Does It Affect Trailers? The Cargo-Related category will affect motor carriers that pull trailers. It accounts for failure to properly prevent shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, overloading and unsafe handling of hazardous materials on a CMV. Violations that could negatively affect a carrier’s score include improper load securement, cargo retention, size and weight.

How Are Carriers Scored? Each carrier will receive a score or assessment based on each BASIC that is affected by the number of violations or crashes, as well as their severity and when they occurred. More recent events are weighted more heavily. Based on their assessment, carriers are placed in peer groups of with carriers that have undergone similar numbers of inspections.

How Are Carriers Scored? Using the BASIC measurements of the carriers in each peer group, a percentile from 0 (the best) to 100 (the worst) is determined for each carrier based on how they compare. The FMCSA uses these scores to help identify and correct problems before crashes occur.

How Is the Data Used? If one or more of a carrier’s BASIC percentile exceeds a threshold, the carrier becomes a candidate for intervention. Thresholds vary based on the type of carrier and the BASIC. Carriers involved in passenger or hazardous material-related crashes are subject to lower intervention thresholds are in place.

What Happens Next? The intervention process typically begins with a warning letter, offering the carrier the opportunity to review their performance and make improvements without further FMCSA involvement. The goal of the process is to promote safety through various proactive tools designed to compel carriers to comply with safety standards or face increasingly stronger consequences.

Where Can I Learn More? CSA 2010 (for carrier data review until Nov. 30 and FAQ responses) American Trucking Associations’ Truckline aspx Safety Measurement System methodology with BASICs