Capacity Constraint Concerns Increase with Dec. 12 Launch of Federal Safety Program CSA 2010

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Dec 06, 2010, 05:43 ET

NEWARK, N.J., Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Motor carriers were granted a slight grace period to review their Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety performance scores before they are made public on Dec. 12, reported The Journal of Commerce on Friday. In this week's Cover Story, the JOC examines the concerns and mis-information surrounding implementation of the agency's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative.

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CSA 2010 plans include the eventual collection of a continual data feed from states and roadside inspections to proactively monitor compliance and, eventually, rate motor carriers. While no one disagrees with the benefit of correcting safety defects before they lead to truck accidents, many trucking operators with low CSA scores fear a certain loss of business when these numbers are published. Shippers are bracing themselves for the impact a smaller driver pool will have on already tight capacity. The initiative could cause a loss of 10 percent of the trucking industry's drivers over the next few years, said Schneider National's Christopher B. Lofgren at the recent Transcomp conference.

The Dec. 12 deadline is far from final, however. On Nov. 29 the National Association of Small Trucking Companies filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency stay on CSA 2010's publication of safety scores. "Implementation of CSA 2010 in its current form threatens the survival of thousands of carriers, many of which are small companies in rural America," the NASTC said.

This week's Cover Story examines the multiple sides to the current safety plans in place and their potential impacts across the supply chain. More information about the CSA 2010 initiative – including insight from FMCSA officials and moderated by Senior Editor Bill Cassidy -- can be found in The Journal of Commerce webcast available here: http://tinyurl.com/JOC-CSA2010.

To view daily news visit www.joc.com. For all media enquires, including article reprints, please contact Editorial Director Paul Page.

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Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Bill Cassidy

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=67579

Paul Page

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=67532

SOURCE The Journal of Commerce