Read the Driver Fitness BASIC Factsheet on the CSA Resources Page
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Driver Fitness Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is one in a series to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.
The Driver Fitness BASIC factsheet focuses on drivers and their operation of commercial motor vehicles, including their driving, training, and medical qualifications, as outlined under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) Parts 383 and 391. Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for additional information regarding what documents associated with this BASIC to keep in the event of a safety investigation, such as annual reviews of driving records, and how to proactively address driver fitness-related problems.
February 06, 2012 12:00 AM
CSA Website Features the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC Factsheet
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service (HOS)) Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is the second in a series of seven that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released on January 17, 2012 to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.
This week FMCSA is putting the spotlight on the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC factsheet, which gives information about driver fatigue management and HOS requirements, as outlined under Parts 392 and 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for information regarding the types of documents associated with this BASIC they should keep, such as records of duty status (RODS), and for information about how to proactively address HOS and driver fatigue-related problems.
January 30, 2012 12:00 AM
January SMS Snapshot Will Incorporate Two SMS Improvements
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has enhanced the Safety Measurement System (SMS) Methodology so that it includes violations based on new cell phone use regulations and provides more detailed breakouts of some existing brake, wheel, and coupling regulations. In February, when the January snapshot is released, motor carriers may notice the following two changes.
- The addition of five texting and cell phone use violations in the Unsafe Driving Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) as outlined below. The violations reflect FMCSA’s decision on January 3, 2012 to ban commercial drivers from using mobile telephones while driving, which includes a ban on texting. Motor carriers should discuss the new violations with their drivers to ensure that they are aware of these requirements.
| Added Carrier SMS Unsafe Driving BASIC Violations |
| Section |
Violation Description Shown on Driver/Vehicle Examination Report Given to Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Driver after Roadside Inspection |
Violation Group Description |
Violation Severity Weight |
| 177.804(b) |
Failure to comply with 49 CFR 392.80 - Texting while Oper a CMV - Placardable HM |
Texting |
10 |
| 177.804(c) |
Fail to comply with 392.82 - Using Mobile Phone while Oper a CMV - HM |
Phone Call |
10 |
| 392.80(a) |
Driving a commercial motor vehicle while texting |
Texting |
10 |
| 392.82(a)(1) |
Using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a CMV |
Phone Call |
10 |
| 392.82(a)(2) |
Allowing or requiring driver to use a hand-held mobile tel while operating a CMV |
Phone Call |
10 |
- A breakout of six current Vehicle Maintenance violations into 22 that provide more descriptive and detailed information about compliance with existing brake, wheel, and coupling regulations. This change will ensure that SMS remains aligned with improvements recently made to roadside data collection systems. Those improvements are the results of a joint FMCSA and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance effort to increase data uniformity through improved processes and tools. This change will help to clarify who the responsible party is for the violations, either the motor carrier or the Intermodal Equipment Provider.
FMCSA is revising Appendix A of the SMS Methodology document to take these changes into account. The agency will re-post the document to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website at the same time the January SMS snapshot is released. Stay tuned by subscribing to the CSA Outreach Website at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/stay_connected.aspx.
January 27, 2012 12:00 AM
Know More Facts about the Unsafe Driving BASIC
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Website now features the Unsafe Driving Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet. This new factsheet is one in a series of seven that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released on January 17, 2012 to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, and other industry stakeholders on CSA’s seven safety categories. Motor carriers and drivers can access this factsheet, as well as the other BASIC factsheets, on the Resources page.
This week FMCSA is highlighting the Unsafe Driving BASIC factsheet, which addresses the careless and dangerous operation of commercial motor vehicles by drivers, as outlined under Parts 392 and 397 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Motor carriers and drivers can refer to this factsheet for information about the types of documents associated with this BASIC they should keep, such as driver training certificates, and for information about how to proactively handle unsafe driving problems.
January 23, 2012 12:00 AM
BASIC Factsheets Now Available on Website
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program has just released a new Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) factsheet series on the CSA Outreach Website. These factsheets are targeted for motor carriers and commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers who want to learn more about the agency’s seven BASICs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) upon which they are based, and how to ensure they comply with those regulations.
Motor carriers and drivers should read all seven of these new factsheets to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the CSA program and, more specifically, the BASICs. The BASICs are Unsafe Driving, Fatigued Driving (Hours-of-Service), Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Cargo-Related, and Crash Indicator. As these factsheets outline, the BASICs are safety categories in the CSA program’s Safety Measurement System (SMS). Motor carriers can see where they stand in each BASIC by logging into the SMS online (http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/).
These BASIC factsheets fulfill an informational need for motor carriers and drivers looking for ways to improve their safety performance. Motor carriers should consider these factsheets not only as a resource for themselves but also as a tool for educating their drivers. FMCSA will highlight one BASIC factsheet each Monday for the next seven weeks through this subscription email service to support industry’s understanding of the BASICs.
View the BASIC factsheets now.
Stay connected to CSA by subscribing to the RSS feed and signing up for the email subscription service (http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Stay_Connected.aspx).
January 17, 2012 12:00 AM
Reminder Commercial Motor Carriers: Update your VMT and PU data now!
Did You Know…As a motor carrier, your Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data from your Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, are used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.
If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February.
Update your MCS-150 now with your 2010 or 2011 VMT/PU data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate your percentiles. Visit https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/PKG_REGISTRATION.prc_option to update your MCS-150 information. Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option - “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.”
PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/InfoCenter/#question5. MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites.
Below are a few questions and answers that help to explain the situation.
1) If the VMT data is not updated and is 2009 or older, what impact will this have when the snapshot is posted in the beginning of February? SMS uses VMT data if it has been provided within the last 24 months and references one of the two previous years. So, the January 2012 snapshot (released in early February 2012), will only include data provided within the last 24 months and that has a VMT year of 2010 or later.
2) What will be affected? This could potentially impact a motor carrier’s Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator BASICs results – both which use VMT data in their calculations.
3) How will motors carrier be affected? Motor carriers that currently receive a VMT-based adjustment due to high truck utilization (i.e. more VMT per PU than the average) will cease receiving that adjustment if they do not update their MCS-150 form to reflect more recent data (i.e. VMT year of 2010 or 2011).
4) If they update the information during the month of January will the change be reflected in the January snapshot that is posted in early February? Motor carriers must update their VMT information in the first few weeks of January to avoid this potentially detrimental effect on their Unsafe Drive and Crash Indicator BASIC percentiles.
January 06, 2012 12:00 AM
CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website updated
The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the December 16, 2011 snapshot. Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.
NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.
January 04, 2012 12:00 AM
Attention Commercial Motor Carriers: Update your VMT and PU data now!
Did You Know…As a motor carrier, your Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) and Power Unit (PU) data from your Motor Carrier Registration form, known as the MCS-150, are used to calculate your Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) percentiles.
If your VMT data is 2009 or older, it will not be used in your calculations when the January Safety Measurement System (SMS) snapshot is posted at the beginning of February.
Update your MCS-150 now with 2010 VMT/PU information or shortly after January 1, 2012 with your 2011 data to ensure FMCSA is using the most accurate data available to calculate your percentiles. Visit https://li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/PKG_REGISTRATION.prc_option to update your MCS-150 information. Under the “Existing Registration Updates” section, choose the first option - “I need to update my USDOT number registration information or file my biennial update.”
PLEASE NOTE: The SMS website is updated monthly, so your MCS-150 changes will not be reflected on that site until the next monthly update. You can find the schedule of SMS updates at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/InfoCenter/#question5. MCS-150 updates show up faster on SAFER and the FMCSA Portal websites.
December 19, 2011 12:00 AM
CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website updated
The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the November 18, 2011 snapshot. Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.
NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.
November 29, 2011 12:00 AM
CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website updated
The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) website has been updated with the October 28, 2011 snapshot. Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.
NOTE TO CARRIERS: To login into the SMS website and see all of your safety data, you will need an FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and select 'Click here to request your Docket Number PIN and/or USDOT Number PIN.' Be sure to request a U.S. DOT Number PIN, NOT a Docket Number PIN.
November 15, 2011 12:00 AM