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CSA Information

COMPLIANCE  *  SAFETY  *  ACCOUNTABILITY

With Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), together with State Partners and industry, is working to further reduce commercial motor vehicle (CMV) crashes, fatalities, and injuries on our nation's highways.





WHAT IS CSA?


Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicles. 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. Rolled out in December 2010, the program establishes a new nationwide system for making the roads safer for motor carriers and the public alike!


THE 7 BASICs OF CSA

Within the (CSA) Operational Model, the Safety Measurement System (SMS) quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates for interventions, determine the specific safety problems the a carrier or driver exhibits, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening. SMS has replaced SafeStat in the new Operational Model and 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 and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs):

Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

 
1. Unsafe Driving
Operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) by drivers in a dangerous or careless manner. Example violations: Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 397)

2. Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service)
Operation of CMVs by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations. This BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to logbooks as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue. Example violations: Exceeding HOS, maintaining an incomplete or inaccurate logbook, and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 395)

3. Driver Fitness
Operation of CMVs by drivers who are unfit to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualifications. Example violations: Failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver’s license (CDL) and being medically unqualified to operate a CMV. (FMCSR Parts 383 and 391)

4. Controlled Substances & Alcohol
Operation of CMVs by drivers who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications. Example violations: Use or possession of controlled substances/alcohol. (FMCSR Parts 382 and 392)

5. Vehicle Maintenance
Failure to properly maintain a CMV. Example violations: Brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, and failure to make required repairs. (FMCSR Parts 393 and 396)

6. Cargo-Related
Failure to properly prevent shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, overloading, and unsafe handling of hazardous materials on a CMV. Example violations: Improper load securement, cargo retention, and hazardous material handling. (FMCSR Parts 392, 393, 397 and HM Violations)

7. Crash Indicator
Histories or patterns of high crash involvement, including frequency and severity. It is based on information from State-reported crashes.

Online CSA Workshop
DOT Compliance Help, Inc. has developed a one-hour workshop to help you understand CSA and the seven BASICs the DOT/FMCSA uses to rate carriers.

Please join us for our live and instructor-led online webinar. Simply click below to register and we will email you an invitation with login information and training materials the day before the webinar.


Webinar Details:
Monday, January 23
2:00pm to 3:00pm Central Time
$49 Registration Fee





Helpful CSA Links

Official CSA Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Detailed Methodolgy




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