How will the new CSA system work?

SMS replaces SafeStat, the measurement system of the old operational model. SafeStat did not contain a separate driver evaluation comparable to DSMS and relied on data from out-of-service violations and selected moving violations only.

The SMS summarizes data on all safety-based violations indicated on roadside inspections reports and data from state-reported crashes. CSMS includes two years of data, and DSMS uses three prior years. The data is sorted into seven buckets or Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs).

What are the BASICs?
o Unsafe Driving BASIC, which looks at speeding, improper lane change and other violations indicating that drivers are operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in a dangerous or careless manner.

o Fatigued Driving BASIC, which includes violations of regulations related to the complete and accurate recording of hours of service in logbooks and other indications that drivers are operating CMVs while ill or fatigued. In general, a truck driver cannot drive more than 11 hours per day, or work for 14 hours without an eight-hour rest period.

o Driver Fitness BASIC, which includes violations such as the lack of a proper driver's license–violations indicating that drivers lack training, experience, or are unfit for medical reasons.

o Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC, which includes violations related to driver possession or use of alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications.

o Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, summarizing violations for blown lights, bad brakes, or other mechanical defects

o Cargo-Related BASIC, summarizing violations for issues such as those for improperly secured loads or unsafe handling of hazardous materials

How are the results evaluated?
Details of the formula used to convert the violation and crash data into seven numerical measures–one for each BASIC and one for the crash indicator–are included in a 94-page document.

The document explains that violations and crashes are weighted based on the severity, and that the time elapsed since the violation or crash is also considered–giving less weight to events occurring further back in the past.

After a measurement is determined, results are "normalized"–in other words, the motor carrier is placed in a peer group. For motor carriers, percentiles from zero-to-100 are then determined by comparing the BASIC measurements of the carrier to the measurements of other carriers in the peer group. A score of 100 indicates the worst performance.

What are the interventions?
FMCSA and its state partners will use measurement results to identify motor carriers that need CSA interventions, ranging from recommendations for corrective action to strong penalties. There are no driver interventions under CSA.

Carrier interventions CSA are broken into three categories:
1) Early contact
2) Investigations
3)Follow-ons

While the most comprehensive information about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's rollout of its Comprehensive Safety Analysis initiative is available on FMCSA's website, for those agents, insurance underwriters and motor carriers who don't have time to wade through all the details, here are the "basics."