CSA 2010: In your opinion, which companies should be shaking in their boots?

You would think that in any other profession, it would be discriminatory to base hiring practices on a person's BMI but we are under such scrutiny these days operating big trucks that we are fair game and anything goes! I suppose it's a proven fact that being obese is related to chronic medical conditions. That doesnt neccesarily mean that a driver cannot perform well under those conditions, it just means the trucking companies and their insurance providers are tired of shelling out the big bucks it takes to keep these drivers covered medically. If you weigh 353 lbs. and dont have sleep apnea, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes etc.. thats a good thing for now! But eventually it will catch up with you. It's just a medical fact. I know trucking does terrible things to us after years of living in a truck- we can try to eat healthy and get adequate exercise. Guess that's all we can do. My husband recently changed companies. He is 6' 4" and 260 lbs. 10 years ago before truck driving he was 192 lbs. He doesnt smoke but now says he gets out of breath lugging the extra 68 lbs. He and I both are changing our eating habits, I'm 30 lbs overweight- doesnt sound like much until you visualize 30 lbs. of meat in your shopping cart at walmart!! Thats like having a 30 lb 2-3 year old strapped to your back 24-7. That would get tiring real quick. Well, Trucker Dave, good luck to you! And yes, Prime does have a BMI prehire requirement

 

Once the databank with all our driver "profiles" are completed in the next few months which allegedly contains your prior 36 months of those 7 catagories you speak of, it will definitely weed out those drivers that are chronic violators. Thats a good thing as far as I am concerned! Bring it on!! Less buttheads out there for the rest of us...Same with those irreputable companies. Let them eventually go down in flames as well!!

 

Just to stir the flames a little....suppose a carrier terminated a driver because of his/her profile. The question I have is...Why didn't they give him or her the old "heave ho" long before now. CSA 2010 is old news. The secret's been out of the box for several years now. Hell, the operational test has been going on since Feb 2008. Who's afraid of the "big, bad wolf"? Nobody? Have all these "mega-carrier think tanks" been asleep at the switch?

 

If you check into it fat free anything isn't that good health wise. Some sort of weird thing is put in there to replace it. (yes I saw Dr. Oz the other day! LOL!) I always try to cut down on sugar. Ketchup is a big offender! I did the Adkins diet once and after 3 weeks had some fries with ketchup, almost threw up it was so sweet!

I am 215 and 5'11" I would love to drop a few pounds before I get rolling. I have 16 days to do that. Who knows what kind of crap we have to eat in orientation.

 

Large cars are becoming an endangered species . The difference between a big truck and a large car is in a big truck you go as fast as you can . In a large car you go as fast as you want to (unless you get behind a big truck elephant race - white elephant vs orange elephant )

 

In my rambling I found this article: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/spanish/english/press/2005/030705_main.htm "Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 Listening Sessions Final Report". (It's basically a recap of 6 Listening Sessions.)

I read this short article (about 7 pages) 3 times. It's pretty interesting. Here are a few exerpts:
"The intent of CSA 2010 is to establish an operational model that could be used by FMCSA to confirm a carrier has a safe operation. Conversely, the model would identify unsafe motor carrier operations for focused compliance and enforcement activities."

Another: "Attendance was heaviest by trucking companies, third party service provider groups (including insurance companies), trucking-related associations, and law enforcement entities. However, there was limited attendance by unions, drivers, and safety advocacy organizations."

And another: "The driver was named by many participants as "the front line" and, therefore, the entity with ultimate decision power about truck and bus safety, and the entity who should be held more accountable for safety."


And finally: "One particular arena of regulation discussed at length was the use of roadside inspections. Generally, participants talked about how the consistency of roadside inspections must be improved. They questioned the effectiveness of roadside inspections due to differences in state requirements and inspector experience. In addition, there exists a perception there is no reward and often no documentation for "good" inspection results, further exacerbating the avoidance of inspection stations."

This article really is a good read...at least I thought so. These are just a few of the snippets I found interesting. What was most interesting to me is that it was published March 7, 2005!

Carriers have been all over this CSA 2010 thing for nearly 5 years, at least. Talk about advanced warning! I guess they know they have nothing to worry about. Huh?

 

. basically in NY, if you get a fix it ticket they give you 24 hrs to get the problem fixed or looked at by a mechanic. basically, if you want to avoid getting points, GET IT DONE. i had had a couple fix it tickets in that state, and ny writes all tickets toward the driver. the company may direct you send the ticket into the comapny hq, but my advice would be to get a copy, send on into the comapany, and arrange to get the problem fixed at a shop ASAP. the police and/or inspector will give you a certfication which you have the mechanic sign that the repair was made, and send it and the ticket directly to the court specified on the ticket. then its up to the judge to dismiss the ticket or assess the fine. DO NOT WAIT. some companies will sit on the ticket and forget about it, and then you wind up with a nice letter from dmv for failure to appear. i almost learned the hard way myself.


as for carrier, im on my last 2 weeks with millis, and with the trouble they are in for that wreck near buffalo, that csa stuff will really get them if they dont get their #### together. thats why im switching back to my old (safer) company. the only resean i went with millis was because i wanted to run south more, and that was due to an internet romance that went to hell.

 

very true. no one is saying you have to eat the big macs, baconators, heart attackwiches, etc. basically, EAT LESS. i cant count on all my fingers the amount of drivers that are so huge they take up 2 seats at a table, sit near the buffet, and by the time i get done with my 1 plate of food, they have a stack of 6 or more plates and working on a new one, and shoveling food down his gullet like theirs no tomorrow, then when i see him try to climb into the truck after walking the 30 feet across the parking lot, he's huffinf and puffing like his ticker is about to seize up. and people wonder why the gov't is concerned about obesity?

 

that looks like a truck thats sitting in the graveyard at the CRST HQ in cedar rapids iowa. try going there sometime, theres no guardshack or anything. it's at the intersection of edgewood rd and 16th ave sw.

 

Unless I missed one in a post, the only carrier named, so far, is Western Express. Anyone else willing to stick your neck out and predict a carrier's demise? Or maybe one that you believe that their "come to Jesus" time is near?