FMCSA Introduces New CSA Program for Auto Transport Services Providers

April 6, 2011 - PRLog -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) took a major step recently in the improvement of commercial truck and bus and auto transport services safety by launching the Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) program on December 13, 2010.

According to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, the CSA is to help the DOT, particularly the FMCSA, identify unsafe auto transport services providers and commercial truck and bus companies in the US. “Better data and targeted enforcement will raise the safety bar for commercial carriers and empower them to take action before safety problems occur”, LaHood added.

The main focus of the CSA is that of the Safety Measurement System (SMS), which is designed to analyze all safety violations from inspections and crash data to calculate the overall on-road performance of a commercial motor carrier that provides vehicle transport services. The program is also designed to assist in reaching out to auto shipping services providers and implement various corrective interventions that cater to the specific safety problems of individual carriers.

The SMS utilizes seven safety improvement categories called BASICs to determine the on-road performance and potential crash risk of a specific auto transport services provider. These BASICs are Fatigued Driving, Unsafe Driving, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related and Crash Indicator. By looking at the safety violations of the service provider in each of the categories, the FMCSA and local law enforcement agencies will be able to better identify carriers that show patterns of high risk behaviors and, in turn, provide interventions – including that of early warning letters, targeted roadside inspections, and focused compliance reviews that concentrate on specific issues – for carriers to use to change unsafe working practices.

In addition, the FMCSA will also further conduct comprehensive on-site compliance reviews for auto transport service providers and carriers with safety issues across the BASICs, and any carrier that has failed to take appropriate corrective action will be imposed strong civil penalties.

The CSA is also notable for furthering the open government initiative of the Obama administration by providing public access to safety data in a more user-friendly format. This in turn gives consumers the ability to identify which auto shipping carriers pose a potential safety risk. “CSA is an important new tool that will help reduce commercial vehicle-related crashes and save lives”, Ann Ferro, Administrator of the FMCSA, said in an official news release. “We worked closely with our partners in the motor vehicle community to develop this powerful new program”.

The FMCSA is an arm of the Department of Transportation that regulates the trucking industry in the US under the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement act. It is based in Washington DC, and has the primary aim of improving the safety of truck drivers and other commercial motor vehicles.

With these new safety regulations, cross country auto shipping and auto transport services are a safer and more convenient means of transporting vehicles. If you want to learn more about affordable auto shipping quotes, be sure to visit http://eautotransportservices.com/.

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