If you drive (or send) trucks into the US, you need to quickly get up to speed on Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010. You can begin by reading the article on pg. 10.

In short, the US FMCSA is changing the way it measures driver and carrier safety. Under CSA 2010, every driver operating in the US will be scored on his or her roadside performance and any and all violations occurring over a 36-month period will be posted online for the world to see.

It’s a whole new ball game for drivers, whose driving record will follow them from carrier to carrier. It’s also a game-changer for carriers, because their own safety rating will be influenced by their drivers’ ratings.

For a driver, this means their on-road performance will dictate their employability. If you have a rap sheet a mile long, good luck finding a trucking company that will employ you -the risks are simply too great.

Many recruiters will welcome the change. They’ll be able to get a better read on a driver’s safety record than by relying on a driver’s abstract.

Once a prospective employer grants permission, the recruiter will be able to log in to the FMCSA Web site Compass and view the driver’s 36-month running history.

However, the program also brings increased accountability for carriers. Since your drivers will be the ones directly controlling your carrier safety rating, it’s incumbent on you to hire only the best drivers.

So what does it all mean?

For one, the competition for the best drivers is going to become fiercer. A driver who maintains an impeccable CSA 2010 rating will have greater opportunities and will bring more value to a prospective employer.

And on the carrier front, the cream really will rise to the top and there will be no more flying below the radar for shoddy carriers. No longer will they be able to rest on the laurels of a DoT audit that occurred years earlier.

Like drivers, their safety record will be continuously updated every 30 days and it too will be on the Internet, easily accessible by shippers and competitors.

The new high-tech enforcement tactics involved in CSA 2010 should be embraced by the safest drivers.

If you’re a safe, clean driver, congratulations -your stock is about to go up substantially.

However the clock is ticking for drivers who bounce from carrier to carrier leaving a trail of violations and accidents in their wake. CSA 2010 will weed you out and you’ll become unemployable among carriers that operate in the US.

CSA 2010 is only months away and eight states are already up and running with it. It’s time to be honest with yourself about your on-road compliance and address any shortcomings before it’s too late.

In the meantime, to view a complete presentation on CSA 2010, presented by expert Jeff Davis on behalf of the Truckload Carriers Association at the most recent Driving for Profit seminar, sign up for The Driver’s Seat information video series by calling CarriersEdge at 905-530-2430 or visiting www.TheDriversSeat.ca.

-James Menzies can be reached by phone at (416) 510-6896 or by e-mail at jmenzies@trucknews.com.You can also follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/JamesMenzies.