CSA 2010 Compliance

About CSA 2010

The Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative (CSA 2010) is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) program designed to achieve a greater reduction in large truck and bus crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

CSA 2010 includes two new Safety Measurement Systems (SMS): one for carriers (CSMS) and one for drivers (DSMS). These new measurement systems will enable FMCSA and its state partners to identify high-risk carriers and drivers. All safety violations found at roadside will be taken into account and each violation will be assigned a weight based on its relationship to crash causation.

These categories are called BASICs (Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories), and include:

Unsafe Driving
Fatigued Driving
Driver Fitness
Controlled Substances and Alcohol
Vehicle Maintenance
Cargo Related
Crash Indicator

CSA 2010 will also introduce a broader array of progressive interventions with the goal of changing behavior and changing it early. As a result, more carriers will be receiving attention from FMCSA and state partners about their potential safety problems.

With CSA 2010, the FMCSA hopes to address the segment of the carrier industry that is involved in the majority of large truck and bus crashes when compared to the segment of the carrier industry addressed by the current FMCSA process.

Who Does CSA 2010 Affect?

CSA 2010 affects every company with a U.S. DOT number and operating in interstate commerce will be affected by CSA 2010.

Operating in interstate commerce means the passengers or goods have traveled into or through another state or country, or that someone has gone into another state or country to perform a service. Even if the truck or bus does not leave the state, but the passengers or goods have or will as part of the trip, the transportation is considered to be in interstate commerce.
Interstate commerce means the goods have left their home state or the person performing a service has left his or her home state.

When Does CSA 2010 Take Affect?

Essentially, July 2010, but keep in mind that as CSA 2010 is implemented in pilot states and rolled out to all carriers, there is no grace period. Your company's new BASIC scores will be calculated retroactively using the most recent 24 months of violation and crash history.

Because the scoring is retroactive, you need to begin preparations and make changes now. Your most recent six months of history are weighted the heaviest, so make an impact by starting now!

How To Prepare:

Due to the nature of the CSA 2010 Safety Measurement System (SMS) data collection and evaluations systems, and the emphasis that is placed on recent roadside inspection data, the fastest way to impact the system is to get "good" roadside inspections into the system
The severity weighting system used in the SMS places a higher value on certain violations. To minimize the impact of the CSA 2010 system, carriers and drivers must take steps to avoid high-value violations
To minimize the impact CSA 2010 will have on your operations, take measures to reduce the number of preventable crashes in which the fleet is involved. For instance, make sure drivers are trained on — and actively practice — defensive driving, investigate all accidents to determine if systemic corrections are necessary, and take immediate corrective action if a driver is involved in a negative safety event (driving complaint, citation, accident, etc.)

Find CSA 2010 Training

To find training for CSA 2010, either select from our recommended list below, or choose “Driver” and your state from the “Professional Development” section of the search box below.

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