As we approach the deadline for full implementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) regulatory package, trucking companies are being pushed to tear apart and rebuild their existing safety management practices. The regulatory package aims to bring fleets closer in step to the FMCSA's goal of overhauling trucking safety rules, reducing crash risk, and lowering the number of deaths attributable to trucking accidents each year.

Gil Trevino, a former South Carolina state transportation police officer, and current safety specialist with Penske Truck Leasing company, plans to conduct a series of conferences at select sites within Penske's network of facilities throughout the country. Trevino explained in a presentation last week that one of the main goals of CSA 2010 is to establish a close link and general standards amongst driver safety performance metric measurements throughout the country, with the ultimate goal of reducing trucking crash risk. The establishment of these benchmarks will assist carriers in establishing a close watch on all of their drivers, instilling an increased sense of responsibility in the carrier working to prevent accidents.

In 2008, Trevino highlighted that one in nine highway deaths involved a 'large vehicle' weighing over 10,000 lbs. Trevino expects the safety ratings that CSA 2010 creates to fluctuate monthly between unfit, marginal, and operational. These ratings will be handed out based on continual roadside inspection reports and other metrics reported by the carrier.

Trevino made note that the way FMCSA plans to enforce safety measure will change. The agency expects to devote 25 percent of available enforcement hours to comprehensive, in-person carrier inspections. 45 percent of resources will be allocated to investigations with a specific intent, and the remaining 30 percent will go to offsite enforcement.

CSA 2010 will focus heavily on increasing roadside inspections, as that is how they believe most trucking accidents can be prevented.

Source: Fleet Owner "CSA 2010 is all about reducing crash risk" 8/27/10