Reducing Your CSA Scores

Get Serious About Reducing Your CSA Scores

Presenter: Chris Vernon

Agenda

Introduction• What Is CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)• Why Do We Have It• Why Does It Matter To YouHow Does CSA Work• Measurement-SMS (Safety Measurement System)• Evaluation• Intervention

Agenda

How To Use The System• Logging In• Main Portal• SMS (Safety Measurement System)Solving The Problem• Driver Attitude• Driver Behavior• Company Attitude• Company Behavior

What Is CSA?

• An FMCSA initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes.

• It introduces a new enforcement and compliance model that allows FMCSA and its State Partners to contact a larger number of carriers earlier in order to address safety problems before crashes occur.

Why Such A Push For Safety

• Commercial Vehicle Statistics for 2011:– 4,000 fatalities nationwide – 400,000 injuries nationwide– 22 fatalities in Utah

How Do CSA Scores Affect You• Decreased Load Rates• Increased Insurance

Rates• Lowers Credibility

• FMCSA Intervention– Early Contact

• Extra inspections• Warning letter

– Investigation• Offsite Investigation• Onsite Focused• Onsite Comprehensive

– Follow-on• Corrective Action Plan• Safety Rating Downgrade• Notice of Claim (Fines)• Out-of-Service Order

How Does CSA Work

Three Step Process• Measurement• Evaluation• Intervention

Measurement

Step OneSafety Data Collection

– Roadside Inspections– Traffic Citations (Can be entered into the system

even if a ticket is not issued)– Crash Data

Violations Classified Into 1 of 7 BASICs

7 BASICs1. Unsafe Driving-Speeding, reckless driving, etc.2. Hours-of-Service Compliance-Logbook violations, driving while

ill, etc.3. Driver Fitness-No CDL, no/expired medical card, etc.4. Controlled Substances/Alcohol-Use or possession of

controlled substances/alcohol, etc.5. Vehicle Maintenance-Breaks, lights, mechanical defects6. Hazardous Materials Compliance-Release of HM, no placards,

etc.7. Crash Indicator-Pattern of high crash involvement, etc.

Measurement

Step TwoEach BASIC is given a numerical value score

This is the formula for HOS, Driver Fitness and Vehicle Maintenance

Time Time/Weight FactorLess than 6 months 36 months – less than 1 year 21 year – less than 2 years 12 years and older Dropped from SMS

MeasurementStep FourPlaced In A Group Of Your Peers, Given Percentile Ranking

Evaluation

Evaluation

Evaluation

BASIC General HM PassengerUnsafe Driving, HOS Compliance,Crash Indicator

65% 60% 50%

Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance

80% 75% 65%

HM Compliance 80% 80% 80%

Thresholds

InterventionEarly Contact• Warning Letter• Extra Roadside Inspections

– ISS (Inspection Selection System) • Every Motor Carrier has an ISS score. Enforcement officials

and systems like PrePass use your ISS score to determine if your truck and driver are selected for an inspection.

Intervention• Investigation

– Offsite Investigation– Onsite Focused– Onsite Comprehensive

Intervention• Follow-On

– Cooperative Safety Plan– Notice of Violation, requires a Corrective Action

Plan– Notice of Claim, Involves Civil Penalties– Operations Out-of-Service Order

Logging Into The FMCSA Portal

First Time users can request an account for the FMCSA Portal at: https://portal.fmcsa.dot.gov/login

Solving The Problem

We Tend To Treat The Symptoms, Not Cure The Problem

Solving The Problem

What is the CSA equivalent of the symptom?• Behavior

What is the CSA equivalent of the problem?• Attitude

A Paradigm Shift

Paradigm (n): a theory or a group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about.

-Merriam-Webster

What Do You See?

Attitudes Have To Change

“All the significant breakthroughs were Break-Withs old ways of thinking.”

-Thomas Kuhn

Driver Attitude

There are two things that significantly impact a driver’s attitude:

1. Their perception of how they are viewed by the company

2. WIIFM1. PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program)2. Compensation3. Spiffs

Driver Perception/AttitudeIt Requires A Partnership

Partnership: (n) a relationship resembling a legal partnership and usually involving close cooperation between parties having specified and joint rights and responsibilities

-Merriam-Webster

Driver Perception/Attitude

“Our Driver’s Are Our Greatest Asset”• Do you just give the phrase lip service• Do you really mean it?• How do you show it?

– Happy Birthdays– Random Treats– Get Well Cards/Condolences– It’s The Small Stuff

Driver Behavior

What tool at your disposal can have the greatest impact on overall driver behavior?

PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program)

“Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior”

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”-Benjamin Franklin

Negative Reinforcement, Examples• Withhold pay• New drivers go through

probationary period• Verbal/Written

warnings• Unpaid time off• Assign unfavorable

routes• Fewer miles

• Termination

Positive Reinforcement, Examples• Note on a dipstick• Gift cards for clean

inspections• Monthly mileage bonus

for no violations• Written/verbal

appreciation• Something that includes

the significant other

• Visible token that gives bragging rights, i.e. hat

• Point system with catalog of items

• Paid time off• Driver of the month• Driver of the year• Competition to see who

can go the longest without a violation

Company Attitude

• CSA score management requires a proactive approach

• Drivers are not your enemy

Company Behavior

Best Practices • Use PSP, Companies who use PSP see a 15%

reduction in crashes and a 17% drop in driver-related out-of-service orders.

• Don’t hire bad drivers, The Pareto Principle (80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes)

• Fix driver turnover (Most driver turnover happens in the first 6 months)

• Major cause of early turnover comes from misaligned expectations

PSP

http://www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov/Pages/default.aspx

More Best Practices

• Create a positive, CSA conscious culture• Check your CSA scores regularly, investigate

EVERY inspection/violation• Reward or punish every driver on every

inspection• If it was not your violation fight it, DataQs

DataQs

https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/

Questions?Contact Info

866-735-8411chris@ProgressiveReporting.cominfo@ProgressiveReporting.comwww.ProgressiveReporting.com