BACKGROUND
The Performance and
Registration Information Systems Management Program (PRISM) originated
as a pilot project mandated by Congress under section 4003 of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).
The goal of the project was to explore the potential benefits of
using State commercial vehicle registration sanctions as an incentive
to improve motor carrier safety.
The PRISM pilot demonstration
project was developed through a cooperative agreement between the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (Former FHWA, OMC) and
the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). In addition to Iowa,
four other States-- Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon, participated
in the PRISM pilot demonstration project.
The pilot officially
ended on September 30, 1997. A final report assessing the feasibility,
costs, and benefits of the PRISM program was submitted to Congress
in 1998. The report proved conclusively that the possibility of
State commercial vehicle registration sanctions could, indeed, serve
as a powerful enforcement tool in Federal and State motor carrier
safety improvement efforts.
In 1998 Congress authorized
additional funding through the Transportation Equity Act for the
21st Century (TEA-21) to implement the PRISM program nationwide.
THE PRISM IMPLEMENTATION
PROCESS
Step
1
|
Initial
Briefing - At the State's request, an initial briefing of
the PRISM program will be conducted for State officials by FMCSA
staff. This briefing is meant to give State officials an outline
of the PRISM program and its benefits to the State's safety
initiatives. |
Step
2
|
Letter
of Intent - If as a result of the initial briefing, a State
decides to join the PRISM program, they must state their intentions
to implement the program in a "Letter of Intent" to
FMCSA. This letter should be sent to the FMCSA Division Administrator,
who then forwards the letter to the FMCSA Office of Enforcement
and Compliance in Washington, DC. |
Step
3
|
In-depth
Training - Once the Letter of Intent is received, a 2-day
in-depth PRISM training session will be scheduled for the respective
State. This training will include a general overview of the
program and a thorough review of the grant requirements included
in the PRISM Implementation Guide. As part of this process,
the FMCSA PRISM Team and Division staff will use the Guide to
lead the State through the process of developing their own plan.
Group efforts will include the identification of responsible
parties, development of implementation timelines, cost estimates,
etc. Therefore, State attendees at this training should include
IRP, ITS/CVO, and enforcement personnel with the authority to
make decisions for the State. |
Step
4
|
PRISM
Implementation Plan - Following the 2-day training session,
PRISM staff will forward a draft version of the State's Implementation
Plan to State officials for completion. If needed, PRISM staff
will continue to work with State officials to finalize their
Implementation Plan for submission. The Plan must specify how
the State will meet the program requirements, time frames for
completion, and associated costs. |
Step
5
|
Finalize
Plan & Award Grant - Once a State's Implementation Plan
has been finalized by the State, it should be submitted to the
FMCSA Division Administrator for review and then forwarded to
the FMCSA Office of Enforcement and Compliance for final approval.
After the Plan has been approved by FMCSA, a grant will be issued
to the State agency in the amount specified in the Implementation
Plan. |
Step
6
|
Implement
PRISM - Following the award of a PRISM Grant, the State
is responsible for ensuring the program is implemented in their
State according to the procedures, time lines, and costs identified
in their Implementation Plan. States will also be required to
intermittently report their progress to FMCSA. Funds for PRISM
grants are typically established for a two-year period. |
PARTICIPATING STATES
Eastern |
Southern |
Midwestern |
Western |
Connecticut*
Maine*
New Hampshire*
New Jersey
Pennsylvania*
Rhode Island*
Vermont |
Georgia*
Kentucky*
Louisiana*
New Mexico
North Carolina*
Oklahoma*
South Carolina*
Tennessee |
Indiana *
Iowa*
Minnesota*
Ohio* |
Arizona*
Colorado*
South Dakota*
Utah*
Washington* |
Note: * Denotes Pilot
and other States with approved Implementation Plans.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The PRISM program includes
two major processes - the Commercial Vehicle Registration Process,
and the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Process (MCSIP), which
work in parallel to identify motor carriers and hold them responsible
for the safety of their operation. The performance of unsafe carriers
is improved through a comprehensive system of identification, education,
awareness, safety monitoring and treatment.
- The Commercial
Vehicle Registration Process - A State's commercial vehicle
registration process provides the framework for the PRISM program
and serves two vital functions. First, it establishes a system
of accountability by insuring that no vehicle is plated without
identifying the carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle
during the registration year. Second, the use of registration
sanctions serves as a powerful incentive for unsafe carriers to
improve their safety performance.
The vehicle registration process ensures that all carriers engaged
in interstate commerce are uniquely identified through a USDOT
number when they register their vehicles. The safety fitness of
each carrier can then be checked prior to issuing vehicle registrations.
Thus, motor carriers that have been prohibited from operating
in interstate commerce may then have their ability to register
vehicles denied.
- The Motor Carrier
Safety Improvement Process (MCSIP)
- MCSIP is the means by which a motor carrier's safety is systematically
tracked and improved. The process is designed to improve the safety
performance of motor carriers with demonstrated poor safety performance
through accurate identification, performance monitoring and treatment.
MCSIP carriers that do not improve their safety performance face
progressively more stringent penalties that may result in a Federal
"unfit" or "imminent hazard" determination
and the possible suspension of vehicle registrations by the State.
BENEFITS OF PRISM
The results of the
PRISM pilot far exceeded the FMCSA's expectations in terms of benefits,
cost effectiveness and operational feasibility. It also produced
major safety, economic and productivity benefits as follows:
Accountability -
Identification of the motor carrier (via their USDOT number) responsible
for the safe operation of the vehicle(s) being registered has clearly
produced a major safety benefit. Accountability means that safety
events (e.g. inspections, accidents, driver moving violations) affecting
a PRISM registered vehicle can be more accurately tied back to the
responsible motor carrier.
A Performance-Based
Approach to Safety Management - The primary means of identifying
potentially poor performing carriers is through an accumulation
of carrier, vehicle, and driver specific safety events that are
linked to the motor carrier through the carrier's USDOT number.
Safestat - By
far, one of the most important safety benefits resulting from the
PRISM pilot has been the development of the SafeStat prioritization
methodology. SafeStat is a data-driven, performance-based algorithm
used to identify potentially high-risk motor carriers for inclusion
in the PRISM improvement process (MCSIP).
Improved Productivity
- The PRISM program was developed to meet the challenge of reducing
the number of commercial vehicle crashes of a rapidly expanding
motor carrier population. It has increased both the efficiency and
effectiveness of Federal and State safety efforts through:
- A more accurate
process for targeting the highest risk motor carriers, which allows
for a more efficient allocation of scarce Compliance Review (CR)
and roadside inspection resources.
- The use of "Warning
Letters" as an effective, yet inexpensive, alternative to
a Compliance Review for carriers with less severe safety performance
problems.
Improved Data Quality
- The PRISM program has shown that an improvement in the accuracy
and timeliness of data will result in better resource allocation
and heightened efficiencies in the administration of major Federal
and State safety programs. The data improvement initiatives in this
project have significantly improved the accuracy and timeliness
of critical accident and inspection data collected and uploaded
by State motor carrier safety personnel. Several of the most notable
data improvement initiatives resulting from the PRISM program are
listed below.
- The development
of a procedure for obtaining current census and operational data
on motor carriers as part of the State's annual vehicle registration
renewal process.
- The development
of a procedure for using plate numbers as a means to more effectively
assign inspection and accident data to the responsible motor carrier.
- The incorporation
of a data correction element within the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement
Process.
- The development
of a nationally accepted procedure for correcting safety data
errors.
- The funding of bar-code
technology for registration documents and roadside inspectors
to reduce data entry errors on accident and roadside inspection
reports.
Improved Motor Carrier
Safety - The PRISM program pioneered the use of a "Warning
Letter" as an alternative to an on-site Compliance Review for
motor carriers with less severe safety problems. Alternatives such
as this have taught us that the vast majority of motor carriers
in the PRISM program improve their performance long before registration
sanctions are applied. Thirty percent of the motor carriers that
receive warning letters improve their safety performance on their
own.
Customer Service
- The PRISM program improves customer service by allowing State
registration agencies to issue U.S. DOT numbers. This process promotes
a "one-stop shop" concept by reducing the number of government
agencies that a motor carrier must deal with to get on the road.
STATE LEGISLATION
FOR PRISM
In some States, legislation
must be passed to provide the legal authority to impose vehicle
registration sanctions against motor carriers that have been prohibited
from operating by the FMCSA. The following sample language is provided
for States that need enabling legislation:
- Grounds for Refusal
of Registration:
If a commercial motor vehicle is being operated by a commercial
motor carrier that has been prohibited to operate in interstate
commerce by a Federal agency with authority to do so under Federal
law.
- Registration
Suspension Based on Federal Prohibition from Operating in Interstate
Commerce:
The Division of Motor Vehicles (or appropriate State agency) is
authorized to suspend or revoke the registration of a commercial
motor vehicle if the commercial motor carrier responsible for
its safety has been prohibited from operating by a Federal agency.
HOW TO JOIN PRISM
Federal grant funds
are available to States that have received PRISM training and submit
an acceptable PRISM Implementation Plan. The Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) provides 100 percent grants - no State
match is required. States that are interested in participating in
the program should request a briefing by FMCSA staff to explain
the program and answer questions. If, after the introductory briefing,
a State wants to join the program, a Letter of Intent must be sent
to FMCSA and a training session will subsequently be scheduled to
assist the State in developing an Implementation Plan. Upon approval
of the plan by the FMCSA, the FMCSA Division Administrator and the
appropriate official from the State agency that receives the grant
must sign a Federal grant agreement.
Interested States should
contact Mr. Bryan Price at 412-395-4816, or Ms. Susan Alonzi at
(202) 366-6830.
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