IT PAYS TO BE SAFE

No. 27, July, 2010
CSA 2010, Number 1

As has been discussed in prior It Pays to be Safe newsletters, CSA 2010 is here. As we have noted in the past, there are seven safety behavior areas that are called BASIC--Behavior Analysis & Safety Improvement Categories--that drivers will be measured by.

Over the next seven weeks, we will be covering these seven areas. This week, we are covering the first criteria--Unsafe Driving. The Federal Motor Carrier Administration tells us that unsafe driving pertains to:

• Dangerous or careless operation of commercial motor vehicles. Data includes driver traffic violations and convictions for speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, inattention, and other unsafe driving behaviors.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration refers drivers to Parts 392 and 397.

What this means is that the FMCSA is going to be looking at a lot more than simply traffic violations. The FMCSA is actually referring to Section 392.2, which provides:

• Every commercial vehicle must be operated in accordance with the laws, ordinance and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is being operated.

This means you cannot only be comfortable with knowing the laws of the particular state where you are home-based. You must be familiar with the motor vehicle laws of the states you will be operating in. Thus, if you are in Michigan, the weights allowed to be carried greatly differ in Indiana and Ohio. It will be incumbent upon you to know the differences as you travel interstate.

The rules will also pertain to ill and fatigued drivers, drug and alcohol issues, cargo securement and the inspection of your equipment. Thus, while it seems simple that when someone says "unsafe driving," that must mean compliance with local motor vehicle acts. A deeper review indicates that this is a whole lot more.

Remember when you are involved in interstate transportation under the new CSA 2010, you have to be a better-informed driver, acting in compliance with the local rules of the jurisdictions you are driving in, while making sure that you have an outstanding motor vehicle with its load properly secured.

Next week, we will be covering the second criteria pertaining to fatigued driving and hours of service. Remember, it pays to know the laws of the jurisdiction you are driving in, and it always pays to be safe.