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Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are questions and answers about Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compiled to assist the public. As questions come in through the website, FMCSA adds them to the database along with their answers. If you do not see your question or topic addressed, please contact us by submitting a feedback form. We will respond to you directly and consider your question for inclusion in the FAQs.

The FAQ area has recently been enhanced. Users can now search FAQs by stakeholder group, topics (displayed on the left side of the page), or by entering a keyword below. Choosing “Show All” will display the entire collection of FAQs.

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  1. What are the results of the Operational Model Test (Op-Model Test)? Answer

    A third party, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), formally evaluated the Op-Model Test and the report is forthcoming. The evaluation compares the test group to the control group in the four original Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Test States and examines the impact of the program on the five additional Test States.

    Early feedback from enforcement staff using the Safety Measurement System (SMS) and conducting new interventions was positive. Preliminary results from the Op-Model Test suggested that CSA offers a more efficient, effective means of identifying and intervening with motor carriers that have demonstrated safety performance issues. In particular, the Op-Model Test demonstrated the following:

    • CSA enables enforcement staff to investigate more carriers with safety deficiencies using the same number of resources.
    • The warning letter is encouraging carriers to recognize and address their safety deficiencies earlier, and carriers are responding.
    • CSA is having a positive impact on motor carrier performance in behavior areas significantly related to crash risk, particularly in the Unsafe Driving and Hours-of-Service Compliance Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories.
    • SMS offers a better assessment of carrier safety performance and a more effective means of identifying motor carriers that pose a high crash-risk.
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