WASHINGTON, (Aug. 23, 2004) — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will conduct a comprehensive review of how the agency can best monitor and assess the safety of the nation’s motor carriers and ensure their compliance with federal regulations.

The multi-year review project, known as the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative (CSA-2010), will begin next month with a series of public listening sessions, the FMCSA announced in a press release.

FMCSA will work with motor carriers, insurance and safety advocacy groups, traffic enforcement professionals and the public for their views on the ideal ways to measure the safety of truck and bus operations and take effective action.

The agency currently inspects higher risk carriers through a series of on-site inspections and reviews. However, it is uncertain whether the process will remain effective in the face of expected increases in freight volume. Over the next 20 years, freight volume is expected to increase 50 percent from current levels, the agency says.