The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced the CSA Safety Measurement System website has been updated with new snapshots of fleet performance.
The agency has added two violations to the Safety Measurement System, one based on the new hours-of-service regulations, while the other is based on a more detailed description of existing controlled substances and alcohol regulations. Both were implemented in the SMS as of July 1. If motor carriers have one or both of these violations, they will see them in the July snapshot of their SMS data which was released in early August.
The table below includes descriptions of the new violations, the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) they relate to, and how they are weighted in the SMS.
FMCSA’s new HOS regulation requires drivers to take a 30-minute rest break during the first eight hours of a shift. Based on a court decision, effective August 2, 2013, FMCSA will no longer enforce the 30-minute break provision for drivers that qualify for either of the short haul operations exceptions. This new regulation and guidance can be found at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm.
The violation related to the Controlled/Substances Alcohol BASIC was added based on industry and law enforcement feedback and enables roadside inspectors to distinguish between alcohol possession and alcohol use, says FMCSA. SMS assigns a lower severity weight to alcohol possession.
