CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Enforcement under the new Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 later this fall will rely on inconsistent state accident reporting and that carrier safety performance scores will be based on a flawed formula, says Rob Abbott, vice president, safety policy for the American Trucking Associations.

Speaking to attendees at the Pegasus TransTech Users Conference, Abbott explained that the formula divides the number of carrier violations by the number of DOT registered trucks in the fleet — without regard to miles actually driven.

"That can hurt efficient carriers with high equipment utilization," Abbott said, "because they travel more miles and do more work with fewer trucks."

Conceivably, a carrier could improve its safety score under CSA 2010 simply by adding trucks to the fleet, Abbott said.

ATA generally supports CSA 2010, but some of its features need correcting. Accidents in some states, for example, are far less likely to be reported to the FMCSA than in others, resulting in uneven enforcement, he said. This is because only those agencies that participate in the federally funded Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) will report violations.

Carriers, then, with operations in high reporting states may find it harder to maintain good CSA 2010 scores compared carriers in low reporting jurisdictions. Some states’ accident reporting rate is as low as 30 percent. 

At the same time, Cynthia Witty, safety investigator for the FMCSA told the audience that enforcement under CSA would stress compliance with hours of service rules.

While current out-of-service criteria at roadside inspections will remain unchanged under CSA 2010, carriers with numerous HOS violations can expect folks like Witty to come "in for an audit."

— with files from Truckinginfo.com