21. August 2010 05:40
by jklepper d0591b7a-1f1c-42b5-a8fb-214bac7877f0|0|.0
On August 16, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released an update to their Data Preview Website. Carriers were first given access to the site in April of this year that allowed them to take an inventory of their company’s safety performance data. The system used to evaluate this data is the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), coupled with the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). August 16 marks the day when carriers were able to determine where they stand in each BASICs category based upon collected roadside data and investigations.
The SMSs seven BASICs categories are: unsafe driving, fatigued driving (hours-of-service), driver fitness, controlled substances and alcohol use, vehicle maintenance, cargo related and crash indicator. BASICs is set to replace the current Safety Evaluation Areas (SEAs) in December of this year. FMCSA states that this will give carriers an advanced notice of what needs to be improved in their company before the changes take effect. Additional details about this program can be found at the link above.