There are several state and federal agencies that have a direct effect on the trucking industry and, by extension, the truck insurance industry in the United States. One such organization is The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, established in January of 2000 and headquartered in Washington, DC.The purpose of this organization is to improve the safety commercial motor vehicles and truck drivers through the creation and enforcement of various safety regulations. They do so through their Office of Analysis, Research and Technology (ART), continually seeking ways to keep our nations drivers safe.CSA 2010The FMCSA has recently created a program called Compliance Safety Accountability 2010, or CSA 2010. This program is designed to measure and improve traffic electric stacker for sale safety through data analysis and implementation of new safety criteria.

Drivers and motor carriers are assessed and given a safety score between one and one hundred. These scores are currently public record, and are fully accessible to insurance companies. The scores can be used to spot unsafe drivers, and allow for those in need of fright services to shop around for safer drivers and companies. Drivers and employers have also become concerned with the potential impact these scores could have on commercial truck insurance rates, as unsafe drivers are generally more costly to insure.This initiative is intended to reduce accidents and safety violations by holding companies that are continually involved with infractions accountable.

A safety score is assigned on a scale of 1-100, 100 being the worst, and prospective employers such as manufacturers looking for logistic solutions can publicly view the scores posted on the CSA 2010 website.Some drivers are worried that employers and/or shippers will read too much into the numbers, choosing to avoid carriers with lower, yet still acceptable scores. Truck drivers are worried that this could cost smaller businesses jobs based on unfair comparisons. On the other hand, safe truck drivers can be more easily compensated and rewarded for their recorded driving statistics.

The scores are derived from an algorithm of several categories, some of which are more subjective than others. The CSA 2010 aims to measure items like driver fatigue, driver fitness, behavioral analysis, and controlled substance or alcohol violations. The CSA 2010 in conjunction with the new GPS truck tracking systems that are on the rise, literally put drivers in a hot seat as their jobs become more monitored than ever before. New GPS systems used by some freight companies measure drivers' statistics such as speed, breaking, fuel economy, and other safety and performance factors. The Department of Transportation is considering requiring some freight companies to make these devices mandatory is an effort to better monitor widespread hours of service (or HOS) violations.

Effect on Independent TruckersThe Owner Operator Independent Driver Association, (OOIDA), is concerned that CSA 2010 unfairly scores independent owner/operators more harshly than large-scale motor carriers. On the whole, independent truck drivers are fearful of these new regulations. Drivers' reports are gathered based on their driving record over the last three years. Motor carriers' reports cover only the last two years.It also contends that involvement in an accident, regardless of fault, can negatively affect the score.There is also a concern that CSA 2010 counts all infractions including warning tickets as opposed to just convictions. Some speculate the commercial truck insurance industry might unfairly spike rates based on the public information as well.

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