CSA scores

All hands on deck: Carriers employ software to improve CSA scores

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability program continues to propel fleets toward technology that can improve their scores. Under CSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration deposits vehicle inspection violations into seven Behavior Analysis & Safety Improvement Categories. Each month, the violations in each BASIC are scored by Safety Management ...

By Aaron Huff Published January 28, 2013

Tied Down

Cargo securement soon will be part of the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. Be ready. By Jack Roberts A freshly-minted driver who recently had graduated from a CDL school came by to chat with his instructors and let them know how things were going. He’d just gotten hired by ...

By Jack Roberts Published November 1, 2012

Severe Service

Severe-duty disaster relief First Response Team lends heavy-lifting hand Tad Agoglia and his crew arrived at what was left of Haiti within a week of the 2010 earthquake that left large swaths of Port-au-Prince in shambles. The team used their Cat excavator and Peterbilt dump truck to ...

By CCJ Staff Published September 4, 2012

Viewpoint

Carriers respond to FMCSA’s proposed changes to CSA methodology FMCSA should consider all implications of CSA, including the fact that CSA’s flawed methodology and scores have become an industry measurement system used by shippers in awarding freight and may also be used in litigation against carriers. ...

By CCJ Staff Published September 4, 2012

Technology

Back to the BASICs Does driver training have the biggest impact on CSA performance? The Compliance Safety Accountability program created a boom for technology providers. Many companies began marketing new CSA solutions before the program went live in December 2010 and have continued since. Some technology can ...

By Aaron Huff Published May 1, 2012

Severe Service

Before and after the DPF Any truck built in 2007 and later requires an additional maintenance interval: servicing the diesel particulate filter. Cleaning the filter element removes accumulated engine oil ash, particularly for heavy-to-severe-duty trucks in high-idle on-/off-road applications. While ash in the DPF typically remains ...

By CCJ Staff Published April 1, 2012

Technology

Pay it forward Insurance providers and carriers reap rewards from technology Of all the technologies available to manage safety and compliance, do any qualify for instant discounts from insurance providers? For years, the answer has been resoundingly no. Traditionally, insurance companies have looked past technology to evaluate risk ...

By CCJ Staff Published December 1, 2011

Journal

HOS rewrite now at OMB Controversial final rule could be published by end of year After missing a U.S. Court of Appeals Oct. 28 deadline extension for publishing a final rule in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Transportation submitted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ...

By CCJ Staff Published December 1, 2011

Journal

First-ever heavy truck fuel economy standards on the way Average truck price likely to climb more than $6,000 Work trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles will, for the first time, have to trim fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions under new fuel efficiency standards. The White House ...

By CCJ Staff Published September 1, 2011

Technology

Power surge Optimization systems can build capacity without adding trucks and drivers By Aaron Huff Judging by the latest business trends and analysis, truck capacity will continue to shrink for some time. Although freight volumes have rebounded, many fleets aren’t yet replacing their equipment, let alone expanding, given ...

By CCJ Staff Published June 7, 2011