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Monthly Archives: July 2010
Negligent Hire in a CSA Spotlight
I just returned from the ATA’s general counsel meeting in Monterey, CA. The legal minds of the industry noodled over a wide range of challenges facing the industry. There is no shortage of monsters under the bed (gotta love the lawyers), and one of the scariest is the issue of negligent hire under CSA. In this case, the focus was largely on shippers and brokers and their responsibility to evaluate the safety performance of motor carriers before freight is tendered. Read more
Meet John Handzuk…
Today I have a story for you from a Vigillo customer in the trenches that speaks for itself:
“My name is John Handzuk. I manage recruiting and the DQ files for Honey Transport based out of Florida with 100 trucks. I have been using Vigillo’s CSA Driver Scorecards with my drivers as counseling and educational tools. In plain English, it does a helluva lot better job than what the FMCSA provides.
I was able to sit down with seven drivers since Monday. Six of these experiences were very positive, and one was bit rocky. Read more
Public “Ratings” of Safety must be Accurate from the Outset
While many in the industry have been quick to point out the numerous problems with CSA 2010, it is important to note that the program is a step in the right direction. For well over a decade, FMCSA’s enforcement model has been criticized for being too focused on prescriptive compliance with paperwork requirements. For instance, a carrier’s safety rating can be based on the condition of the carrier’s maintenance records – regardless of the condition of its vehicles. Conversely, CSA 2010 will put more focus on actual safety performance: roadside inspection results, vehicle defects, driver violations and crashes. This new approach is a welcome change from the current enforcement model.
My SEAs are low …I’ll be OK under CSA 2010
We hear this a lot, “If I’m doing well under SafeStat, I don’t have to worry about CSA.” This is often not the case. Having good SEA scores in SafeStat is not a free pass for CSA. If you’re doing well under SafeStat, you might be more prepared to handle the changes needed for CSA – or you might not be. CSA is a game changer… In fact, we have gone from playing slow pitch softball to the playing in the major leagues.
CSA = Changing Safety Analysis
Over the past year I’ve seen CSA change from “CSA 2010” to “CSA late 2010” to just “CSA,” and that’s just the name of this game. During that same time period, there have also (not surprisingly) been a lot of changes in how the FMCSA will manage and measure fleets. For the most part, the industry as a whole has supported the reasons and the basic reasoning behind CSA 2010. However, there have been many portions of the methodology that have caused a lot of hubbub among fleets, drivers, and industry associations. The ATA especially has been strong in advocating for these 3 major changes in the CSA methodology.
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Who is in my Peer Group?
In an effort to “normalize” the data and judge the large carriers against large carriers, small against small, the agency created the concept of Peer Groups as an element of CSA 2010. Peer Groupings are determined in one of two ways; 1) Average Number of Power Units up to 18 months ago (APU)and 2) Number of relevant inspections in the past 24 months for carrier (CSMS) and 36 months for driver (DSMS)(RI). The seven BASIC’s break out as follows:
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Why it’s Now Critical to be Secure Online—Part 1
We often see the Internet described as the “Wild West.” We see articles about how important Internet security is, the dangers of identity theft, credit card hijacking, hacking, phishing—and we wonder how this applies to us. We think we’re probably pretty safe as long as we’re not surfing dubious websites or responding to spam email… aren’t we?
On the Road with Vigillo
Welcome to the brand-new Vigillo blog! Stay tuned for more updates, insights, and on-the-road musings from the intrepid Vigillo team.