CSA Scores: What About Brakes?

What do your truck’s brakes and the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) scores have in common? Read on to find out more.
 

Whether you’re a for-hire trucking company or business that uses commercial trucks, if you have a DOT number, you will want to know what your CSA score is. A CSA score is a system used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to evaluate the safety performance of commercial motor vehicle fleets and drivers based on data like roadside inspections and crash reports. In other words, it's a measure of how well a fleet adheres to safety regulations and crash prevention on the road.

This matters to your fleet because a high CSA score is used to identify high-risk fleets, carriers, and drivers. A high score can impact a fleet's ability to operate profitably as it can lead to increased scrutiny from brokers,

Your CSA scores are recorded in FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS), and are used for:

• Data collection: FMCSA collects data on the driver and vehicle violations, crash reports, and investigation results. 
• Data storage: FMCSA compiles this data into the SMS, which is updated monthly. 
• Data ranking: SMS ranks carriers based on their CSA scores, which are percentiles from 0–100. 
• Data availability: FMCSA makes the data available on their SMS website. 

Your fleet can check your CSA score for free online using your DOT number or your carrier's DOT number. You can also log into the system with your DOT PIN to view additional information, such as crash records and hazardous material records. 

So what does your CSA score have to do with your fleet’s brakes? Your business partners often complete their due diligence in understanding a particular fleet’s business, safety performance, and risk. Consistently ranking as one of the top CSA score violations occurring within the seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) is the Maintenance BASIC, and within this BASIC there is a significant number of fleets being cited for brakes, followed by lights and tires.

Inspectors can readily check brake components such as pads, drums, slack adjusters, and hoses during a roadside inspection, making it easy to identify issues. During roadside inspections, worn brake pads, leaking brake lines, and improper adjustments are common violations that can render a truck unsafe. If 20 percent of a truck’s or trailer’s brakes are deemed deficient, not only can a citation be issued, but the violation can also result in an "out-of-service" designation until repairs are made.

Even when fleets place a high emphasis on proper maintenance, there is always an opportunity to work one-on-one with truck drivers in completing a proper Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR). Although vehicle inspections are a driver’s responsibility, any citations or out of service orders do not go against the drivers CSA score and DOT number—they go against the fleet’s. Teaching drivers how to complete a proper DVIR or pre/post-trip inspection is as important as teaching them how to drive the truck. Using the thinking of “trust but verify” and in looking for weak points as opportunities, you may be surprised at the number of good truck drivers and even maintenance technicians who have not be trained to the extent they need to be.

Can a trucking company afford to take DVIR inspections to the next level? In today’s climate they can hardly afford not to. The return on investment includes improved CSA scores, resulting in your company looking better to your business partners and law enforcement, improving pro-active maintenance and increasing up-time, enhancing customer service, avoiding unnecessary maintenance costs, and achieving higher driver retention.