FMCSA delays start of CSA 2010 until fall

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it was pushing back implementation of CSA 2010, the long-awaited overhaul of the DOT’s fitness, safety and rating systems.

The first phase of the program was slated to kick-off in July of this year, but the agency now says the new schedule calls for a so-called "data preview" to start in November, with some enforcement provisions delayed until 2011.

Weeks ago, FMCSA director Anne Ferro assured the American Trucking Association that the agency was still committed to a summer 2010 rollout even though there would likely be problems and confusion at the start.

However, FMCSA writes in a notice issued today, "the agency has received valuable feedback from its partners and … has also gained valuable knowledge from its operational model test, involving nine States, which began in early 2008 and concludes in June 2010.

"Therefore, FMCSA has decided to move the beginning of CSA 2010 rollout from the summer to the fall of 2010. This will enable the agency to incorporate comments and lessons learned into the CSA 2010 model prior to national."

On November 30, FMCSA will replacing its current measurement system, SafeStat and will implement a revised nationwide Inspection Selection System for roadside inspectors.

Under the new schedule, carriers will be able to view the data FMCSA will be using to calculate their relative safety performance, but will not be able to see where they stand until August.

CSA includes over 3,500 different truck violations based on seven new Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs), including unsafe driving, fatigued driving driver fitness, controlled substances and alcohol, vehicle maintenance, cargo related, and crash history.

Each of those has a severity weighting and they will be used to determine the carrier’s rating, which is called an Inspection Selection System Number (ISSD).

More so, the data will be updated monthly and can affect a fleet or driver’s safety rating that quickly. 


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