Education,Cooperation Keys toCSA


PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM


By Steve Brawner ContriButing writer


Perhaps no three letters in the English


language inspire more passion in the trucking industry than “CSA.” Surveys over three years by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) have found that an average of only 5.7 percent of drivers were “very supportive” of using it to measure their performance. Te issue has given rise to legitimate concerns as well as rumors, myths and misinformation.


Larry Johnson, executive director of


the Nebraska Trucking Association, said that, while CSA has problems, it also offers opportunities for carriers who try to operate safely. When a carrier executive complains about CSA, he asks them what was the last time they lost a load based on price to a carrier they knew wasn’t following the rules. CSA helps catch those bad actors. CSA measures carrier safety performance


in seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs: Unsafe Driving; Hours of Service Compliance;


Vehicle Maintenance; Hazardous Materials Compliance; Crash Indicator; Controlled Substances/Alcohol; and Driver Fitness. FMCSA measures carrier safety


performance based on data from 3.5 million roadside inspections and 100,000 crash reports a year. Scores in all but the Hazardous Materials and Crash Indicator BASICs are available to the public through the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System. Concerns vary, but they generally relate to


Continues NEBRASKA TRUCKER — ISSUE 2, 2014 — www.nebtrucking.com 7


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