Log Book
12 Overdrive DECEMBER 2009 Log Book An ambitious data program being launched next year will intensify dra-matically how drivers and carriers are evaluated for safety and determined to be unfit to operate. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 will introduce a driver rating system and will replace SafeStat, which has rated carriers. Data collected from roadside inspections, accidents and other agency and law enforcement encounters will be used. Already being tested in six states, the program is scheduled to roll out in most other states beginning in July. The driv-er measurement system is not expected to be enforced as quickly as that for carriers, say American Trucking Associations officials. The system will determine carriers' safety fitness based on two years' worth of data. The driver rating will use three years' of information. Recent encounters will be weighted more heavily. Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, says CSA will use all violations on inspection reports, even if there is no citation issued. CSA will allow safety investigators to see a driver's complete safety record. The current SafeStat program assess-es only carriers, including independent owner-operators, and uses only road-side inspection information on out-of-service and moving violations. CSA will assess carriers and drivers using 3,589 safety-based roadside inspection viola-tions, such as equipment and log book violations, in seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs:  Unsafe driving (on-road incidents)  Fatigued driving (hours of service violations)  Driver fitness (violations related to CDL certifications)  Controlled substances/alcohol  Vehicle maintenance (equipment violations)  Cargo related (improper secure-ment and other violations)  Crash indicator (accident history) Three levels of intervention are spec-ified by FMCSA. A Notice of Violation is an informal notice requesting action by the carrier or driver. A Notice of Claim places more strict requirement on the carrier or driver. The most Safety crackdown coming The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has decided to conduct another hours-of-service rulemaking as part of a settlement with groups challeng-ing the current regulations. A federal appeals court has twice rejected the rule implemented in January 2004, and safety groups have been chal-lenging the current regulations for allow-ing 11 hours of driving per shift and a 34-hour restart of cumulative on-duty limits. The Oct. 26 agreement with Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Truck Safety Coalition and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters places a hold on that litigation pending the completion of a new rulemaking. Under the settlement, FMCSA must begin a new rulemaking process and sub-mit a notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of Management and Budget within nine months. The agency will have another 12 months to issue a final rule. Meanwhile, the current rule remains in effect. The crash rate, injury rate and fatality rate are all at historic lows, says Clayton Boyce, spokesman for the American Trucking Associations, which supports the current rule. The science is on the side of the current hours of service. Avery vise Hours rule under review again SITTON TRUCK LINES of Joplin, Mo., is closing, according to news reports. David L. Sitton, now deceased, and his two sons, Richard and Michael Sitton, started the irregular route common and contract car-rier in 1979. DAIMLER TRUCKS North America officials confirmed that DTNA is committed to a long-term development plan for Western Star. The company is working with dealers to find ways to enhance brand awareness and present vehicle demonstrations at truck stops and other venues. A DRUG AND ALCOHOL strike force conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration removed 77 truck and bus drivers from the road. The Sept. 8-18 enforcement also resulted in more than 80 carriers facing penalties. The drivers can no longer operate a com-mercial motor vehicle and will probably face fines. SHORT HAULS CSA 2010 will rate drivers, carriers monthly The new program will accumulate comprehensive records from inspec-tions and other sources. T odd Dills (Continued on page 59)