CSA 2010 – An Assurance of Safety

Federal Motor Carrier's Safety Administration (FMCSA) used to rate the carriers as 'satisfactory' or 'unsatisfactory' depending upon the collected data from roadside inspection. Now getting an actual compliance through such an audit program required much time. So, FMCSA has rightly done away with this model and instead adopted an advanced measure, known to be CSA 2010.

The newly applied model to the trucking industry works in a very simple and straightforward fashion. In every business operation, there exist a few factors that can effectively influence the prospects and prosperity of the business. Identification of the most important factors depending on the significant statistical data is done to predict the future of an industry. It is the same tactics that are opted by the concerned authority while applying CSA 2010. Acting upon the statistically significant data, FMCSA has identified six important factors that can forecast the possibility of the crash of a carrier close to perfection. The main objective of CSA 2010 theory is to arrange for a correction program for the driver in case the person is found to be highly prone to fatal crashes.

Unsafe driving that includes violations of traffic rules, reckless driving, picking up speed beyond the permissible level, inadvertence while driving, illegal lane change is a proper indicator to the imminent danger and in that case the driver must be sent for a correctional program. This is the very first factor of a CSA 2010 model. Fatigued driving is also an important factor to predict the crash likelihood of a carrier. If a driver is sick, tired or in complete non-compliance with the strict hours-of-service regulations, then he is not expected to ensure safe driving. This very basic code of CSA 2010 makes a clear distinction between the incidence of a fatigued driving from that of a driver's inability to respond to the surrounding stimulants due to unconsciousness or influence of drug or alcohol.

The Driver fitness criteria of CSA 2010 is another point to take into serious consideration. A driver may be unfit not because of his poor physical or mental condition but due to lack of extensive training or enough experience. As a variety of materials is shipped on daily basis, so it is a need to have expertise and experience in specific field such as transportation of dangerous goods . The drivers are required to opt for additional measures while shipping the harmful materials. A person having no valid commercial driving license and being certified as medically unfit can not be appointed as a driver. In that case, it is a clear violation of the stringent rules and regulations followed by FMCSA. The fifth factor of CSA 2010 clearly states that use or possession of the banned drugs or alcohol raises the potential risk of falling prey to an accident. The drivers are strictly prohibited from driving under the influence of alcohol or other illegal drugs.

The carriers must not be overloaded to avoid the possibility of accident. Moreover, without permission, shipping of the dangerous goods is not allowed. Constellation of these factors forms the foundation of CSA 2010 model to make an almost correct prediction on the hovering dangers in case no on-time measure is adopted.