Texas Truck Blog 

Helpful CSA Links to get the latest information regarding CSA 2010

1. Frequently Asked Questions  
    http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/FAQs.aspx

2. How CSA affects you
    http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/yourrole/

3. New Resources Page
    Includes:
    Motor Carrier Toolking
    Driver Toolkit
    FMCSA and State Partner Toolkit
    Other Stakeholder Toolkit
    http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/resources.aspx

4. What's New at CSA
    http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Whats_new.aspx

5. Motor Carrier Safety Measurement System
    http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/

• Measurement system
• Safety Evaluation
• Intervention

MEASUREMENT SYSTEM
This Safety Measurement System (SMS) replaces the SafeStat and is organized by seven Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories:
Unsafe driving
Fatigued Driving
Driver Fitness
Controlled Substances
Vehicle Maintenance
Cargo Related
Crash Indicator

Every month SMS measure the on road safety performance of carriers and drivers to determine if Intervetion is necessary.  They will identify is safety problems are improving or getting worse.

SAFETY EVALUATION

SMS gives FMCSA the ability to more effectively evaluate the safety performance of motor carriers for purposes of intervention.

Inervention Selection:  Identifies safety problems and recomends the level and type of intervention.

Safety Fitness:Carriers with sufficient on-road safety performance data will be rated as Unfit, Marginal, or Continue Operation based on their on-road safety performance data, as well as major safety violations found as part of an investigation.  Ratings will be updated on a monthly basis.

INTERVENTION
This new process is designed to improve unsafe conditions and behavior early and to reach more carriers.  Intervention ranges from warning letters to Onsite Comprehensive investigations for carriers with serious safety problems.  Intervention tools move beyond fact-finding to a more extensive exploration of why the violations are occuring and solutions for correcting safety issues.

Now as a convenience to Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers CSA brochures and pocket cards will be available starting January 12, 2011 at many travel centers across the U.S.  This means you will have access to updated information for CMV drivers regarding the new CSA Safety Measurement Systems.  Look for this important CSA information in "Info to Go" racks at large travel center chains, and countertop displays at independent truck stops.
 
You will also find pocket cards and brochures posted electronically on the CSA outreach website on the Outreach and Media page:  http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/outreach.aspx#factsheets  with instructions for printing

The CSA program was officially launched on December 13, 2010.

The main element of CSA is the Safety Measurement System (SMS).  This system will analyze all safety-based violations from inspections and crash data to determine a commercial motor carrier’s on-road performance. This safety program will deploy a range of corrective interventions to address a carrier's specific safety problems.