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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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 Wiseman
FMCSA proposes to scale back regulatory relief during declared emergencies
According to a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register soon, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is proposing to "narrow the scope of regulations from which relief is provided automatically for motor carriers providing direct assistance when an emergency has been declared."For decades, the agency's regulations have granted fairly broad regulatory relief to those providing direct assistance to "emergency relief efforts" following emergency declarations issued
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA clarifies key brokerage definitions
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), at the direction of the U.S. Congress, has issued regulatory guidance aimed at clarifying the statutory and regulatory definitions of the terms "broker" and "bona fide agent." As explained in the agency's November 15, 2022 notice, this "interim guidance [is intended] to inform the public and regulated entities about FMCSA’s interpretation of the definitions of 'broker' and 'bona fide agents' as it relates to all brokers of transportation b
Brandon Wiseman
How to improve your CSA scores
CSA scores are a big deal for regulated motor carriers. High CSA scores can lead to increased insurance premiums, lost business, and heightened exposure in highway accident litigation. Keeping your scores as low as possible is important, but how do you do it? That's the million dollar question. Although the answer is pretty straightforward, it's unfortunately not what most fleets want to hear. Lowering your CSA scores (and keeping them low) takes time and effort. There is no magic wand. There ar
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA contemplating electronic vehicle identification tags
Among its flurry of recently-published notices, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced it is seeking comments on whether the agency should amend its regulations to require "every commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operating in interstate commerce to be equipped with electronic identification (ID) technology capable of wirelessly communicating a unique ID number when queried by a Federal or State motor carrier safety enforcement personnel." The agency's notice is a resp
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA evaluating continued need for COVID emergency declaration
In a notice posted to the Federal Register on September 6, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking comments from regulated motor carriers concerning their use of the existing COVID-19 emergency declaration and exemption, in an effort for the agency to determine whether it should continue to renew that declaration going forward. The FMCSA first issued the declaration on March 13, 2020, offering a fairly broad exemption from various parts of the federal safety regu
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA seeking comments on "brokerage" definitions
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is seeking responses to several questions that will inform future guidance on the topic of what is "brokerage" and "bona fide agents." In a notice posted to the Federal Register on June 9, 2022, the agency noted its questions come in response to a Congressional directive (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) to clarify the terms "broker" and "bona fide agents" by November 15, 2022. Specifically, FMCSA must, at minimum: FMCSA (1) examine
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA revives discussion on mandatory state passenger CMV inspections
In a notice soon to be published in the Federal Register, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced it will be reopening comments on its 2016 Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) concerning mandatory state inspections of certain passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).In 2016, FMCSA published an ANPRM titled “State Inspection Programs for Passenger-Carrier Vehicles." The ANPRM announced that FMCSA was considering a requirement that States establish a
Brandon WisemanNever Miss an Update
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