CVSA 2010, why im not (as) worried.

A couple of bad inspections and you are out of buisness for three years.The company I am leased to has a policy of 75 points and you are done.The csa is trying to get all inspectors trained to the same standards but won't start till next year.Those of us in the pilot program are getting nailed for everything.I got a writeup on inspection for unprotected ground wire.It was a wire previous owner had run from frame to firewallfor something.This is safety issue?

 

CSA2010 will take the really poor condition trucks and drivers off the road, I believe, in pretty quick order. Then once they are gone the next class of vehicles and drivers will get hammered because the easy pickings have been put out. Eventually near new equipment and spotless drivers will be getting crunched because the lower and medium levels have been shot down. Look around you at each state you pass thru, you see all the high dollar DOT suv's and vehicles and big increases in DOT cops like I do? Whats going to happen when the CSA2010 has pretty well rooted out all the bad equipment/companies and drivers? All these employees and equipment have a huge operational cost to the states. In order to sustain themselves there will be nit picking like never before. I had a diesel bear in Ct at the I-84 eastbound rest area scales tell me he could easily find violations in practically any brand new tractor or trailer. I'm just trying to look at the pros and cons to CSA2010 here guys...not body slamming it. I seriously think a driver shortage is on the horizon...not a phony media news report shortage either. I hope to be watching the results unfold on the television from a rocking chair in hopefully about two more years LOL.

 

Seems like quite a few of you are guessing about the program that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has rolled out.
"Comprehensive Safety Analisys 2010" is a dragon of a program that the guru's in Washington have come up with to make "our nations highways safer and to protect us from them bad ol truck drivers ".
In my 27 years as a commercial driver I have seen alot of programs and regulation come in. The CDL was supposed to change the industry, it didn't,unless you count much higher license fees. Then we were fingerprinted like criminals for our Haz-Mat endorsement and fined,errr I mean charged accordingly, yup, you guessed it, another fee.
Now along comes CSA 2010! TAH DAH!!!!! In this program State and Local Law Enforcement get to supply information directly to the FMCSA about all roadside inspections and all violations in which points are assesed at the Federal level in accordance with severity of the deemed infraction or violation. These levels of severity and violations are TOTALLY at the discretion of the Law Enforcement Officer.The Commercial Driver is then given points based on the information provided by the state that the LEO represents. WARNINGS CARRY THE SAME POINTS AS A CITATION !!!
These point assesments are counted against your Employer, too many points and your Employer's DOT Authority is pulled and the company gets shut down. Is your boss going to let that happen? You will be terminated so fast your head won't even have a chance to spin.You don't have to be fined or get an actual ticket , a few warnings is enough, you can lose your job in 1 roadside inspection. Impressive program huh !
There is a challenge system in place, it's called Data Q's.
GOOD LUCK with that, Have challenged 2 alleged violations 1 in 2008 in Iowa and 1 in 2009 in Kansas, Iowa responded to my challenge of "inaccurate information provided by Officer" by saying that " Law Enforcement Officers are extended discretion at all times, if the Officer said occured, then it occured." And that was the end of that!
Here in Kansas, Motor Carrier Inspection Troopers write warning citations as a way to show their superiors that they have not been napping all day under a shade tree, stop a few trucks, write a few warnings, even if no violation exists. After all no one gets hurt, the driver does not have to pay a fine and the Trooper looks like he has done something for the day.
Now it MATTERS. So if you have a Trooper on your step saying " I'm only going to write you a warning for this" DON"T LET HIM DO IT ! You cannot fight a warning in court. Request a full citation so you can argue it in court, and hire a lawyer.
So enough of my rant, who will be the 175,000 commercial drivers taken off the road by this program ? Look to you left and to your right, it might be all three of you, and me too!

 

Excellent post, tankersurge!!!
I would add only 2 things.

First, the TWIC scam, oops, program. More fingerprints, and the same background check you went through to get Your HAZMAT. COSTS TO THE DRIVER $140!

For those of you who need to drive into Canada, a passport is mandatory now and BTW, the cost for that increase well!!!

Funny how I now require all this extra training and certification and stuff but I make less each year the longer that I drive!

Wonder why???

 

My only concern at this point. Companies who already "force" drivers to submit, or lose their jobs.

We've all seen these companies. Hopefully, none of us who know better, work for one.

But how many of the new guys will come on board, and be too afraid to make a stand...and say NO ?

It's easy to see the new guy/gal, or the submissive guy/gal being taken advantage of. And losing his ability to get a job, in short order.

I still see drivers who are willing to take the chance with their CDL. Even though they know what the price will be for their refusal to tell a dispatcher/company, NO.

I also see pay coming up. It will have to, no two ways about it.

 

The only thing that I see positive about the CSA 2010 is that it will hold drivers more accountable. Although I don't think that it is right to have warnings count against a driver, it should force all drivers to be more conscientious. Another positive thing is that the points will follow a driver when he goes for his next job. A carrier will be alerted to problems that a driver has and can make their hiring decisions based upon his past performance. It will no longer be possible to hide bad behavior. A driver will no longer be able to give his cousin as a reference so that he can get another job. Drivers will be forced to do their jobs in a more professional manner or find another career.

I am sure we will see some inequities in the system. Any time the government becomes involved there will be inequities. There will also be profit for the government or it would not be done.

 

CSA 2010, CDL Changes, HOS Changes, TWIC Cards, HAZ MAT fingerprinting, Bigger Fines, Fast Card ( the easy way to get into and out of Canada) all these things be put on a Deregulated INDUSTRY, Ever Wonder Why or whom we should Blame??

I have the Answer and I know none of you are going to like it, nor are any of you willing to take the responsibility. So Let me tell you why we have the RULES and REGS we DO the Bottom Line is, IF YOU HAVE DRIVEN A TRUCK FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS YOU AND I BOTH ARE PART OF THE REASON FOR ALL THE REGULATIONS AND RULES.

I too Ran more than one log book, faster and harder than many Kids today will ever see their trucks do. I was the Outlaw Trucker making a living doing it my Way, I along with several hundred thousand other Drivers Made the Industry what it is today. I will own up and take the blame as I know that had we all done it the right way from the very start we would not have the rule and the regs we do, nor would I have the Things I do, I did what I did to support my Family I Know it was not right, but I had to do it.

This is the Reason why we have all the Rules and Regs, and That I guarantee you is the Main Reason truckers did the things they do. But not one Person in DC or the FMCSA office is willing to accept the fact we Do have to make a living and the more RULEs and REGS the more people who work to find a way around them. If they think OUTLAW trucking was big in the 80's and 90's they need to stop and take a look at what they are doing now.

 

I think too many drivers are accepting the company rant that this makes drivers more accountable.
We were always accountable, now the company will be more accountable than before.
Drivers always took all the tickets, violations, warnings. The company never took on any of those, only OOS violations hurt them at all.
Now they have to take points on everything the driver does.
And keep them for 2 years.

Yes, the driver will keep points for 3 years.
But that is not as large an issue as most think, and it is only an issue if you are looking for a job.
The idea of firing drivers with 70 points, 90 points etc is rather stupid. Since the company will still be stuck with the points. And the company's do not even know what will be considered as high.

States are doing more inspections now. But I think this has allot more to do with money than CSA2010. Maybe a few more inspections are being done due to the new safety management program, but not many.
Once it is online they will focus inspections on company's with bad ratings, and leave the rest of us alone.
As Ann Fero said, they do not have the time or man power to waste it inspecting safe company's.
Once this goes live clean company's like mine will not get inspected much.