Apex Encourages Motor Carriers to be Attentive to CSA Scores While CSA Debate Continues: Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC

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Fort Worth, TExas (PRWEB) March 06, 2013

According to the ASECTT website, ASECTT’s members “are concerned that while CSA’s SMS methodology is a work in progress, portions of it have been released to the public without proper vetting, including but not limited to, the most basic scientific and statistical studies necessary to justify a nexus between the compliance violations measured in each of the so-called 7 BASICs and crash predictability.”
    Apex shares ASECTT’s concerns. But while the CSA debate continues, obtaining and maintaining favorable CSA scores will remain important to motor carriers. For that reason, Apex launched a series of eight blogs on February 6, 2013 regarding the seven CSA Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) to encourage clients to be attentive to their CSA scores.
    The [FMCSA recently released new materials intended to assist motor carriers in identifying and addressing their safety and compliance issues. These materials include seven Safety Management Cycle (SMC) job aids originally created for agency enforcement personnel. There is one job aid for each of six of the BASICs and two for the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC: “Inspection-Repair-Maintenance” and “Cargo-Related.”
    Establishing proper Policies and Procedures is the first step a motor carrier must take to utilize the SMC job aids to enhance CSA scores. This is one of a series of eight releases listing the Policies and Procedures a motor carrier should have in place as indicated by the SMC job aid for a specified BASIC. To learn more about the SMC job aids, and a full SMC analysis performed by FMCSA safety investigators, please visit the Resources page on the FMCSA’s CSA website at https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC

    The SMC job aid for the Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC indicates that the following Policies and Procedures should be in place:

•     Management should monitor and track logs for falsification.
•     Dispatchers should not assign a load to a driver without hours available to complete the load on time.
•     Drivers should not violate their HOS Out-of-Service (OOS) orders under any circumstances and should immediately contact management when placed OOS.
•     Drivers should report their available hours to dispatch during “check-in” calls.
•     Management should assure there is proper retention of Records of Duty Status (RODS) according to regulations.
•     Drivers should submit copies of all roadside inspections to management within 24 hours.
•     Drivers should submit all RODS and supporting documentation, such as expense receipts, within 13 days of the end of each trip.
•     Drivers should check with their supervisor, manager, or dispatcher to review their “fit-for-duty” status before starting a job. Drivers who are ill to the extent that their ability and/or alertness is impaired should not work on safety-sensitive assignments.

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About Apex Capital
Founded in 1995, Apex Capital provides more than just cash flow for clients. Apex provides honest and innovative full service freight bill factoring, a competitive fuel discount program and total management of accounts receivable. Apex works with the Alliance for Safe, Efficient and Competitive Truck Transportation (ASECTT) and other organizations to ensure fair legislation and regulation of the transportation industry in order to keep the industry competitive and profitable for America’s freight haulers. Apex is a privately held company in Fort Worth and has been voted one of the best companies to work for in Texas for the last 6 years. For more information call 800.511.6022 or visit http://www.apexcapitalcorp.com.

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