By Patrick Winchester

Having a license and proof of truck insurance was once enough for shippers to do business with motor carriers, and thats typically all they looked for other than word-of-mouth reputations, referrals and the like.

Well new information made public by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, (FMCSA), is causing many small trucking companies to wonder whether thats no longer enough for would-be employers. Worse yet, theyre worried that an already-stifled economy could get even worse as a result of a new program by this commercial trucking governing body.

Despite a reaction against the publicity of the FMCSAs new CSA 2010 program, information concerning company accident history, driver fitness, equipment upkeep and several other safety-related general categories is now available to shippers and other freight companies alike by simply logging into the FMCSA website and viewing a comprehensive score given by the commercial trucking governing body.

While the program is seemingly in the interest of public safety, it raises concerns that some motor carriers safety scores will cause mis-perception. Additionally, groups fear that commercial truck insurance companies could use the information to increase rates by justifying who they may consider higher risk policy holders.

What is CSA 2010?

CSA 2010, an acronym for compliance, safety and accountability, is a new system that was unveiled by the FMCSA in late 2010. The program aims to publish a safety score for motor carriers and independent truckers alike. This score can be viewed by prospective employers, competitionreally anyone in the general public who logs into the site.

The FMCSA, is an agency that was formed in January of 2000 that regulates the national trucking industry. The FMCSA, along with the NHTSA in the U.S. Department of Transportation, initiate most of the legislation that relates to commercial trucking and commercial trucking insurance.

The FMCSA says they arent out to increase truck insurance rates or jeopardize small businessesinstead, they state their goal with the new initiative stems from safety consciousness, and aims to increase safety standards and reduce accidents that occur during the day-to-day operations of commercial transit.

Arguments against CSA 2010

Several trucking associations that represent over 2,700 small trucking companies are challenging the FMCSA, worried that current CSA 2010 standards produce overall safety scores that may be more arbitrary than accurate. Theyre worried the scores will cost motor carriers jobs unfairly by increasing false conclusions based on speculation of viewerscausing something of an over-awareness of the companies history.

Trucking company spokesmen have gone on record expressing concerns for the methods by which safety CSA 2010 scores are calculated. Many believe that accidents caused by other drivers will skyrocket the scores of smaller companies, costing them jobs because motor carriers will be making false assumptions from the CSA 2010 data. Of course, commercial truck insurance could inflate as well for the same reasons.

The scoring system is set on a scale of 1-100, 100 being the worst, thats derived from several categoriesincluding a few possibly over-subjective categories such as unsafe driving, fatigued driving, driver fitness, controlled substance abuse, vehicle maintenance, cargo-related accidents and an overall crash indicator. Some of the scores produced in these categories may be derived from outdated data or no empirical data at all.

About the Author: Patrick Winchester is a freelance writer with

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