ATA wants “unreliable” CSA scores hidden from public view

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and a coalition of other organizations wants the FMCSA to restrict access to carriers’ CSA scores.

The request was outlined in a letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. ATA says research proves CSA scores are unreliable.

“Given the results of this research we urge you to direct FMCSA to remove motor property and passenger carriers’ CSA Safety Measurement System scores from public view,” wrote ATA president Bill Graves and representatives of nine other industry groups. “Also, recognizing the merits of raising public awareness of fleets’ true safety performance in the future, we also call on you to direct FMCSA to make CSA improvements a high priority.”

The organizations say research from the Government Accountability Office found that, with respect to most carriers, “FMCSA lacks sufficient safety performance information to reliably compare them with other carriers.” The report went on to say that the lack of data “creates the likelihood that many SMS scores do not represent an accurate or precise safety assessment for a carrier.”

The letter concludes: “Given the many identified data sufficiency and reliability issues outlined by the Government Accountability Office, we urge you to direct FMCSA to remove carriers’ SMS scores from public view. Doing so will not only spare motor carriers harm from erroneous scores, but will also reduce the possibility that the marketplace will drive business to potentially risky carriers that are erroneously being painted as more safe.”

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