CSA 2010 and Its Affect on Drivers and Companies

Recently an interview took place with the safety director of a large owner operator carrier in one of the CSA 2010 test states.

The carrier has had one intervention under the new CSA 2010 rules. The intervention was an on-site investigation and lasted approximately 3 days. The intervention was triggered by violations regarding speeding and cargo securement.

The safety director indicated his biggest concern with CSA 2010 had to do with unsafe driving, especially as it relates to speeding. The big problem is some drivers that had been considered safe drivers are now ending up with poor safety scores. The reason is that under CSA 2010 the same number of points will be deducted for a WARNING for speeding as they would have been if a CITATION had been issued. So some drivers that had been lucky enough to just a get a warning are now being hit with point deductions, which in the end led to an intervention. My comment here is that safety training is the key to prevent this from occurring. Drivers can’t rely on being lucky or getting by with a warning. They simply can not speed or do anything that will result in a roadside inspection and continuous safe driving messages are the only way to change a driver’s behavior.

The other area of concern for the safety director is the confusion created by some states having slightly different regulations than other states. Making it very difficult for their owner operators to understand what rules are applied where. Once again, confusion seems to be prevalent in the CSA 2010 test states.

The safety director said they have been using the company newsletter to inform their owner operators of CSA 2010 and the fact that they (the owner operators) are in charge of their own safety rating.

Finally, the safety director said his overall impression of CSA 2010 is that it has some really solid safety potential but with some built in problems.


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