CSA Scores & SMS
How FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability program and Safety Measurement System work — BASIC categories, percentile rankings, intervention thresholds, DataQs challenges, and strategies to improve your fleet's safety profile.
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FMCSA to enhance DataQs appeal process
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has plans to overhaul its DataQs system to accommodate deeper levels of appeal, according to a recent notice from the agency. "Stakeholders from industry, CMV drivers, and the public have expressed concerns regarding the transparency and uniformity of addressing Requests for Data Review (RDRs), and specifically, RDR Reconsiderations. Stakeholders note that program offices do not have a uniform process for initial RDR reviews or for handling
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA again considering substantial changes to safety ratings
**UPDATE: Since publishing this article, the FMCSA has scheduled an in-person listening session at the Texas Truck Show in Houston on June 29, 2024 to hear from the public on the proposal to modify the safety rating process. The agency also plans to hold additional virtual listening sessions in June and July 2024 on the topic. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is once again contemplating significant changes to its Safety Fitness Determinations, commonly known as "safety rat
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA & NHTSA propose heavy vehicle automatic emergency brake rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on June 22, 2023, which would mandate that all newly-manufactured heavy trucks and buses be equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. “Advanced driver assistance systems like AEB have the power to save lives,” said NHTSA Chief Counsel Ann Carlson. “Today’s announcement is an important step forward in improving safety
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA again declines to tackle double brokerage
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register in the next couple of days, the FMCSA issued its "final guidance" on its regulatory definitions of the terms "broker" and "bona fide agent." This final guidance comes on the heels of the agency's "interim guidance" on this same topic, which it published in November of 2022 and which we discussed in detail in this article. The FMCSA's brokerage guidance is a response to Congress' mandate in its Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Spec
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA to broaden Crash Preventability Determination Program
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has plans to expand the federal program through which regulated motor carriers challenge the preventability of accidents in which their drivers are involved. According to its notice published on April 12, 2023, the FMCSA proposes to broaden its Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP), such that more types of accidents will be eligible for a preventability ruling. The agency first stood up the CPDP in May 2020, following industry c
Brandon Wiseman
Trucksafe discusses proposed CSA changes with HDT Talks Trucking
Trucksafe's president Brandon Wiseman recently joined Heavy Duty Trucking's Talks Trucking podcast to discuss the FMCSA's proposed revisions to its Safety Measurement System (SMS) and what those changes could mean for regulated fleets. Catch the replay below or at this link. For an even more in-depth discussion of these changes, check out our recent episode of Trucksafe LIVE! on the topic:About Trucksafe Consulting, LLC: Trucksafe Consulting is a full-service DOT regulatory compliance consulting
FMCSA proposes substantial revisions to its Safety Measurement System (SMS)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing fairly substantial changes to its Safety Measurement System (SMS) also known as CSA, which the agency uses to prioritize motor carriers for enforcement. According to a notice published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2023, "FMCSA continues its commitment to continuously improving SMS to identify motor carriers that present the highest crash risk through a transparent and effective system." We'll break it all down in thi
Brandon Wiseman
Understanding FMCSA civil penalties
In January 2023, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced inflation-adjusted increases to its civil penalties. Now, it’s probably not surprising to you that the FMCSA is vested with the authority to enforce its safety regulations by assessing civil penalties. It’s really no different than other government agencies imposing fines for other types of non-compliance. That in mind, there are some nuances to the FMCSA’s civil penalties which are worth discussing, at least at a
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA rule changes for 2023?
2022 was a big year for trucking and a fairly busy one for regulators. We saw a lot of new rules come out of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) this year, including most notably the Entry Level Driver Training regulations from February. But with 2022 coming to a close, the question is what’s in store for 2023 from a regulatory perspective. That's what we're discussing in this article. It's no surprise that highway transportation is very heavily regulated, at least from a sa
Brandon WisemanNever Miss an Update
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