Where Does Your COMPANY CSA Score Stand?

Okay, a moment of truth. Where does YOUR company's CSA score stand?

Erlbacher Brothers

https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Carrier/220174/Overview.aspx

Dave

Dave D. - I began checking out a prospective employer's CSA info as part of my diligent search. Been especially useful in determining condition of their equipment with the inspection reports.

I'm going to offer a different take on this. A company's CSA scores are almost completely irrelevant when choosing a company. In fact, the reason that system was designed was to hold trucking companies accountable for the quality of the driver they employ. So in effect that score is a reflection upon the quality of a company's drivers, not the quality of the company itself.

For instance, look at the factors they're measuring:

• Unsafe Driving
• Crash Indicator
• Hours Of Service Compliance - are drivers getting caught violating logbook rules?
• Vehicle Maintenance - if a vehicle gets inspected and has violations, shouldn't the driver have caught that in the pre-trip inspection?
• Controlled Substances And Alcohol
• Hazardous Materials Compliance - does the driver have the proper Hazmat endorsement?
• Driver Fitness - does the driver have the proper endorsements, medical certification, a valid CDL , etc?

So don't think a company's CSA score is a reflection upon the company itself. It's a reflection upon the quality of their drivers which should be of little or no interest to a driver looking for a company to work for.

Part driver and part company. If a driver reports a vehicle defect on his pre-trip, how soon does it get fixed. We really wouldn't know the answer, but this is how the REALLY BAD ACTOR companies get eliminated.

Example:?FMSCA says, your maintenance record is so bad, it has to be more than just the driver.

Dave

I don't look at the score, I look at the data particularly to see if there are violations that to me show a "pattern." For example, one company in a twelve-month period received a violation for a driver hauling hazmat without endorsement, operating a CMV without a CDL (not revoked or suspended but without)-2 of these, driving a tanker without endorsement. This kind of makes me think, hmm will this company have me perform a duty that I am not qualified to do?

I agree Brett that some of the items on the report should be regarded strictly as a driver's fault, but if there is a historical pattern of certain violations then the company need to re-evaluate what they are or are not doing

I use the SMS website to look at the ratings. I think being a brand new driver will be stressful enough without being specifically targeted for additional inspections, simply because of who my employer is. Luckily, the companies I'm most considering, have excellent records.

Prime is pretty darn good. With 6,000 drivers, there are some real zingers in there, but most of the drivers I meet are very safety conscious, and the scores reflect that.

If you want to get pulled into every scale house and spread your cheeks while they put on the white rubber gloves, go to work for a company with a horrible CSA score.

If, on the other hand, you want to be given the green light on your prepass and skip the vast majority of scales, go to work for a company with a great CSA score.

In 5 months of driving, I've gotten the green light at least 95% of the time, and I have never had an officer even look at my logs, let alone inspect my rig.

Not that they would find anything wrong anyway, it's just nice not having to deal with the hassle.

Part driver and part company. If a driver reports a vehicle defect on his pre-trip, how soon does it get fixed.

If a driver detects a safety problem with the truck, does the driver continue to drive the truck or does he get it fixed? He gets it fixed. The CSA score can not possibly tell you how long it takes for a company to fix a truck. It's the driver's responsibility to know if the truck is safe to drive. Equipment breaks. There's no getting around that. The driver is the last line of defense, responsible for making sure unsafe equipment stays off the highway.

For example, one company in a twelve-month period received a violation for a driver hauling hazmat without endorsement, operating a CMV without a CDL (not revoked or suspended but without)-2 of these, driving a tanker without endorsement. This kind of makes me think, hmm will this company have me perform a duty that I am not qualified to do?

Well it makes me think there's a bunch of drivers out there hauling freight they're not qualified to haul. Who is responsible for making sure a driver has the proper license and endorsements? Who is responsible for deciding whether or not it's safe to drive that truck down the highway or keep it parked? The driver.

I found a new list this time which describes exactly how each item is measuring the driver's performance and not the company's performance. It seems to me that it should be self-explanatory that phrases like "Crash Indicator" and "Driver Fitness" are measuring driver performance but so far everyone seems convinced it's measuring the company's performance. I've never known a company that crashed, only drivers, and the word "Driver" itself is in the term "Driver Fitness" but I guess that's still not clear enough.

So let me try again with another list. This is from the Safety Measurement System page of the FMCSA :

• Unsafe Driving — Operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) by drivers in a dangerous or careless manner. Example violations: Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 397)
• Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance — Operation of CMVs by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the HOS regulations. This BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to records of duty status (RODS) as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue Example violations: HOS RODS, and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued. (FMCSR Parts 392 and 395)
• Driver Fitness — Operation of CMVs by drivers who are unfit to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualifications. Example violations: Failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver’s license (CDL) and being medically unqualified to operate a CMV. (FMCSR Parts 383 and 391)
• Controlled Substances/Alcohol — Operation of CMVs by drivers who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications. Example violations: Use or possession of controlled substances/alcohol. (FMCSR Parts 382 and 392)
• Vehicle Maintenance — Failure to properly maintain a CMV and/or properly prevent shifting loads. Example violations: Brakes, lights, and other mechanical defects, failure to make required repairs, and improper load securement. (FMCSR Parts 392, 393 and 396)
• Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance — Unsafe handling of HM on a CMV. Example violations: Release of HM from package, no shipping papers (carrier), and no placards/markings when required. (FMCSR Part 397 and Hazardous Materials Regulations Parts 171, 172, 173, 177, 178, 179, and 180)
• Crash Indicator — Histories or patterns of high crash involvement, including frequency and severity. It is based on information from State-reported crashes

I don't know how to explain any of that any more clearly and neither does the Government. So hopefully that helped.

If you want to get pulled into every scale house and spread your cheeks while they put on the white rubber gloves, go to work for a company with a horrible CSA score

Yes indeed a company with very poor scores will get pulled in and inspected more often than companies with solid scores. But don't let that lull you to sleep. They're going to inspect everyone at some point. Nobody gets a free ride.

if there is a historical pattern of certain violations then the company need to re-evaluate what they are or are not doing

That's exactly right. And what do you think the very first thing is that they would change? If you said, "The quality of the drivers they hire" then you're the big winner today! Because if their drivers are getting in wrecks and failing inspections and getting caught without the proper credentials then they have the wrong drivers.

Finally, on the Why was CSA Needed? page the 4th reason states:

The FMCSA Large Truck Crash Causation Study indicated that increased attention should be given to drivers of commercial motor vehicles.

Boom!.....Brett drops the mic and walks off stage.....

Boom!.....Brett drops the mic and walks off stage.....

Who was it that I got that from? Persian, was that you? I like that.