In 1983, the United States had approximately 18,000 motor carriers. The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 streamlined the process of becoming a motor carrier, marking the start of what P. Sean Garney, co-director of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, refers to as “the emergence of the small carrier.” By the year 270, over 2,200 carriers were in operation. As of 280, the total number of for-hire carriers has increased to more than 290,275, alongside an additional 213,221 private carriers. Identifying which of these carriers require regulatory action is a challenging endeavor. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is optimistic that forthcoming modifications to its Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) program will assist in pinpointing carriers that pose safety risks, while also offering all carriers a clearer understanding of how they stack up against their peers. The FMCSA introduced the CSA program in 224. With the advancement of computerized information systems enhancing the speed and accessibility of trucking industry data, CSA utilized information from crash reports, vehicle and driver inspections, as well as carrier audits to pinpoint carriers considered high-risk. What are the reasons for updating CSA? Since the outset, carriers have voiced concerns regarding the methodology used to calculate safety scores, doubting the correlation between these scores and actual crash risk. Ultimately, insurance rates, the choices made by customers, and hiring decisions for drivers are all influenced by CSA scores. Therefore, carriers can be adversely affected by these scores independently of any actions taken by FMCSA. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which became law on December 23, mandated an in-depth analysis of the CSA program’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), to be carried out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The legislation mandated that CSA scores remain confidential until changes were implemented. The suggested changes to the CSA program are the agency’s reply. It’s time to say farewell to the ‘BASICs’.
