Small Companies and CSA

I recently got a local job working for a company doing local, mostly agricultural-related trucking. I am really enjoying the work I'm doing. I like the company. Unlike the big companies who make you their #####, these guys are fair to their drivers. It is a lot of fun and I get to sleep in my own bed at night. I am working 12-hour days during the harvest season. I expect it will slow down after Harvest.

I found out the company (who I am not naming) has a rough CSA score, but from what I've heard, CSA scoring unfairly hurts small companies. We have about 10-15 trucks, so if one gets an overweight or speeding ticket, it hurts them a lot more than it would hurt a big company like Werner, who has thousands of trucks. Some people have said they think there will be a CSA audit eventually.

Can a company's CSA score affect my license or score? I have a clean driving record. In what ways could an audit affect me? What happens during a CSA audit?

 

I have never been pulled-over and inspected, except once, last summer in Miami and I was with a trainer. We had no violations. I'm sure it will eventually happen. If I am making a contribution to the company's score, it's probably not a bad one. People tease me about doing the speed limit and stuff, but I don't get pulled-over and other people do. 8) Just last week one of our drivers got a ticket for speeding and he might have also been overweight. One thing is, haulin' out of a farmer's field, it's not easy to not be overweight. Any time there is a scale, I only take what is under the limit. I want my money, but I don't want to lose it in a traffic stop.

I do think there are some drivers who need to be told to let off the hammer a little.

 

We are within 100 air-miles of wherever we go, so we don't keep logs. If anyone does take a longer trip, they keep logs. So far, I am not aware of anyone being given any trouble because of that.

 

I mind myself pretty well and I see bears all the time. So far I've had no trouble from them. Hopefully that won't change. One of our drivers is an idiot and I think he should be fired. He possibly singlehandedly popped the company's CSA score. He's not alone, though. One other driver got three warnings.

When you only have 10-12 trucks, you better have dam good drivers! A company like Werner, with thousands of trucks, can afford to get a citation here and there, but a little Ma and Pa company can't. One or two bad drivers can mess things up pretty badly, even with 8-10 good drivers rolling for the same company. CSA needs to be adjusted.