Drivers, Enforcement Officers Don’t Understand CSA, Study Says

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), today released the results a Compliance, Safety, Accountability: Assessing the New Safety Measurement System and its Implications 2013 update.  The study illustrates the trucking and enforcement’s knowledge and understanding of CSA.

Approximately 7,800 drivers participated in the study. ATRI analyzed the drivers attitudes and knowledge of CSA and how it impacts their lives.

According to ATRI, “On average, drivers responded to the CSA knowledge test with 42.4 percent accuracy, suggesting that after three years of implementation drivers do not have a clear understanding of CSA.”

In contrast, law enforcement personnel responded with a 66.5% accuracy.

“ATRI also initiated an additional data collection in 2013 from the law enforcement community. As stated by FMCSA, the goal of CSA is to create an efficient and effective nationwide safety initiative among its federal and state enforcement partners. This may be a difficult task since previous research conducted by ATRI suggests that uniformity is lacking in the amount and type of CSA training received by enforcement personnel.

“Enforcement personnel knowledge of CSA is critical for the program to be effective. For example, clean roadside inspections (RI) can actually improve a carrier’s BASIC score and it is the responsibility of the enforcement officer to report clean RIs as well as those that result in violations. However in a previous ATRI survey of enforcement personnel, approximately 40 percent of respondents indicated they had not received any training on RI uniformity standards and processes. When asked about the reporting of clean RI, 6.8 percent of respondents never completed RI reports, while 10.4 percent “almost always” completed RI reports. If enforcement personnel are unaware of uniform RI reporting standards or how this influences carrier and driver BASIC scores, it can detract from CSA effectiveness,” ATRI states.

ATRI says CSA is a major concern because industry experts predict that as many as 175,000 drivers could lose their jobs due to poor safety records. 

A copy of this report is available from ATRI by clicking here.