Third party logistics (3pl) companies offer many services to their clients. Hiring carriers to safely transport goods in a timely manner is just one responsibility of a 3pl provider. Due to the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) 2010, stricter truck driver safety measures are being implemented. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is at the forefront of executing this plan to further reduce commercial vehicle crashes, fatalities, and injuries on our highways and roadways. In turn, this is putting more responsibility and legwork on the plate for all 3pl companies.

CSA 2010 is a new safety program in which truck drivers must participate. Each individual truck driver's score will count towards the carrier's overall federal safety rating. This greatly affects a 3pl provider because they will now be responsible for ensuring all carriers they contract with are within a reasonable safety score. It is suggested that 3pl providers reach out to carriers to discuss CSA 2010, their current rating and to learn more about their safety practices.

With the federal government's stricter standards on rating trucking companies on behavior and performance, everyone involved is sensing greater pressure to make themselves more aware of the procedures and statistics. Not only can a carrier, or an individual truck driver, face legal repercussions resulting from an accident or injury, the 3pl that hires them may as well. This is why the FMCSA, through CSA 2010 initiative, is making carriers and 3pl's alike review what they are doing to insure safety precautions are met prior to anything being loaded onto or taken to the streets on a truck.

Safety standards are evaluated under the Safety Measurement System (SMS). This is a thorough examination of each truck driver's on-road safety. The SMS encompasses overall unsafe driving history, fatigued driving, or duration of service, driver fitness and health, use of controlled substance or alcohol, crash involvement history, cargo assessment and knowledge of best practices.

While the FMCSA has rated driver safety in the past, the development of CSA 2010 takes current safety recommendations to a higher level. The new evaluation structure includes an enhanced compliance review (CR). In addition to more detailed areas of review, the new program provides better solutions tailored to address specific problem areas.

Source: EzineArticles