Here we go again, more CSA 2010! As most of you know, the FMCSA has pushed back the launch date (when CSA actually replaces SafeStat) until late November or early December. As most of you also know, it really doesn’t matter because everything is still counting. They are tweeking it somewhat as the result of feedback from drivers, carriers and industry groups. This is an enormous undertaking. From the interaction I’ve had with many of the FMCSA folks involved in this over the past several years, I know that they want to get it right. They are charged with keeping commercial vehicles safe and they take that mission very seriously. CSA has its drawbacks, they are aware of them, and some changes will be made.
One big change is that it appears that the points for speeding will be revised. Warnings will still count, but the officer may have to note the speed (many don’t currently) and the severity points may vary, say from 1-4 mph over, 5-9 mph over, 10-14 mph over and 15+ over, or something like that. It isn’t out yet, but that appears to be where they are headed. There is one caveat, however. Even if these revisions go into effect, they will not be retroactive. Warnings for speeding currently cost you and Mercer 15 points (5×3). We are stuck with what we have now. Don’t speed, 15 points is a big hit which cannot be successfully protested.
Here are some facts about Mercer’s fleet. Of our DOT writeups, 42% are driver controllable. Of these, 12% are speeding and 30% are observable defects. Basically, that means that an officer either saw the truck speeding, or saw something wrong with the truck and/or driver. An observable defect on our fleet is generally a driver not wearing a seatbelt, a light (generally a headlight) not working, a 4″strap with cuts in it, not enough straps or chains (particularly missing the extra one on the front bundle or within the first five feet), and/or dark window tint. These things, more than anything else, get us pulled over on the roadside.
Now, here’s what that means: When you look at the above, and apply CSA points to them, a whopping 82% of the CSA points assessed are driver controllable. Of these points, 15% are speeding, and 68% are observable defects. Observable defects are a big deal and are almost always preventable by the driver. I understand that headlights and other lights burn out, but the other things require drivers to simply get them right. That is the CSA standard carriers and drivers are all required to meet.
As far as where Mercer units get inspected, here are the top six, in most to least order: California, Texas, New Mexico, Kentucky, New York, North Carolina. The two states most likely to issue warnings for speeding are Indiana and Tennessee. If you are trucking in these states, be prepared. We don’t need excuses, we need clean inspections. We don’t need speeding violations or log problems.
CSA 2010 requires absolute obedience to speed limits. It requires absolute attention to detail. We can’t just say we are the best……..CSA 2010 requires us to prove it day after day, every driver, every trip. Be smart. Be safe.
Hello, My driver was inspected in May. He was warned for a logbook violation of being off duty too long. He logged off duty for 14 hours and didn’t show any sleeper birth. He got a warning. My qustion is…. Is it going to be posted on the blog what the mercer point value’s will be.
We probably will not broadcast out point thresholds to the world via the blog.
I see all the post and glad you are keeping us up on them I am glad for the CSA in the long run it will help us we just got to get there. The one problem I see and I wish they would change it some how or how does Mercer think about it is the things that happen in trans. Like the headlight going out, or a marker light, or a pancake blows in a brake pod, or a stone hits your windsheild. I had two of these happen and took care of them as soon as possible. But if I got DOT with the new CSA I would had got points, because the pancake on the brake pod went out in trans. I got it to the near truck stop and had it repaired. I know like other drivers we don’t want to run around in trucks needing repair, but things happen in trans and we can’t get things done till we to a place to do them. Next thing a crack windshield I didn’t ask that car to throw the stone and maybe if texas would keep their loose stone off the roads in the construction, but there the car here my windshield now I got a crack and I got to get it fixed. I’m glad thru our insurance we can get it fixed, but I founded out when I called safelite the closes place was booked till tues and this was friday they finally found a place down the road that could get me in and replace it. But again if I got DOT there the points I do carry extra lights, headlights but to carry extra brake pods and windshield and a shop on my trailer we wouldn’t be able to haul any freight this is one thing the CSA needs to change maybe on something give a warning that don’t count on points. We can only carry so much. I noticed you said about not wearing seat belt. I remember you saying in another post about drivers being stop for not wearing a seat belt. When they was and getting a ticket because the law enforcement couldn’t see it. That happen long ago to me in ohio the female trooper couldn’t write me up on anything so she wrote me up on a seat belt. She explain I could go to court and get it dismissed even thought I was wearing one. She needed to write a ticket at that time I was doing a $700 run to go to court to get a ticket off. The law enforcement are told they have to write so many tickets a month to keep their positions. But after your post my wife took two stripes for a safty vest and sew on material. So we got these reflective sleeves that wrap around our seat belts if a law enforcement can’t see them there no hope thanks Jason
What happens if one of our air bags go, under the bunk or elsewhere and we are driving and not aware of it and we get pulled over for a DOT inspection? Will they take into affect that when we did our safety check that it was not broken or will we get a warning and points? For that matter, what if one of our brake lights or any other light goes out and we don’t know till we are pulled in?
Wow, I don’t check this for a couple of days and look what happens! A lot of interest on this, as well there should be. Let’s look at these……..
I can tell you that we won’t publish point total thresholds in the blog. At some point they will become part of our printed safety policy. At this point we are still waiting to see what the FMCSA revisions will be before we draw a line in the sand. Remember also that it is a comparative thing. Mercer is ranked in comparison to other motor carriers. Each of our drivers are ranked in comparison to our other drivers. A bad driver pointwise on a good fleet may be a good driver pointwise on a bad fleet. It really is going to depend on where a fleet is in relation to the intervention thresholds of each of the seven basics.
For example, the headlights and marker lights will not burn us as badly under vehicle maintenance as defective brakes will. Log violations, speeding and load securement issues burn us all bigtime and I am a lot less tolerant of those things regardless of the point totals, because they have a higher accident contribution risk. What the FMCSA has done with the points is focus driver awareness on all of the regulations. When they all have points, they are less likely to be ignored. There is more driver focus on both pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and less likelihood of procrastination in making repairs.
JC, as you know, the officer is required to document what is not working, is defective, is broken, is missing or is improper, and they are under tremendous pressure to do that. Do they make mistakes? You bet. But, too often, warnings are not taken seriously enough by drivers. Points against safety ratings are. Unfortunately, as an industry, we’ve brought a lot of this on ourselves, and we are going to have to deal with it.
Christine, things are going to happen enroute beyond your control and you (and Mercer) will get points for them. I look at a driver’s history when I see this. Usually, writeups like those are few and far between. If you get a bunch of them, we may have a different issue. It seems to me that if an airbag lets go you’ll hear it back through the dash, but maybe not.
The bottom line, folks, is to get the big stuff perfect. No speeding, no log violations, no cargo securement issues. Don’t push tires or brakes too far, do serious pre-trip and post-trip inspections. Wear your seatbelt, remove the dark window tint and take advantage of Mercer’s strap exchange program. I understand the other concerns everyone has, but these big things are the actual problems I see on this fleet. If you are not getting big points for the big stuff, occasional small points for things that happen beyond your control are not going to be an issue. At least not on our fleet.
Like it or not, it is not going away, we have to deal with it. If you want to see where you stand, stop in and see me. I’ve been looking at everybody’s point standings since last December. If I haven’t written you a letter about it, you are probably in pretty good shape. I’ve already dealt with the top one hundred or so who have the most points. Be safe.