Chairman DeFazio, Ranking Member Duncan and members of the Subcommittee:  Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our Agency's major new safety initiative, Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010. 

CSA 2010 is a performance-based, data-driven approach for the FMCSA to carry out its mission: to significantly reducing severe and fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses.  It upholds the Agency’s mandate to place safety as its highest priority by strengthening how FMCSA determines motor carrier fitness and targets enforcement efforts against those operating unsafely.  The program was developed over 6 years through the hard work of our employees and input from many stakeholders including those at the table with me today. 

The program rests on 3 core components: System, Process and Rule. 

The Carrier Safety Measurement System, or CSMS, will replace the current system, SAFESTAT.  Through the use of ALL safety violation data, weighted by crash risk, CSMS will give our investigators a more robust tool to use in identifying high risk carriers for review.  It also will be the basis for the Selection System roadside enforcement officers will use to focus their roadside inspections.

With regard to Process, CSA 2010 introduces a new strategy known as the Intervention, and frames it at 4 levels:  comprehensive on-site – much like today's compliance review; focused on-site investigations; off-site investigations; and warning letters.  Through a mix of these interventions, combined with roadside activity, we will increase the number of carriers we “touch” and catch unsafe behaviors before it leads to a crash.

And finally, to reach its maximum effect, CSA 2010 will rest on a Rule, commonly referred to as the Safety Fitness Determination Rule.  This rule will decouple the carrier Safety Rating from today’s on-site Compliance Review.  The rule will enable FMCSA to propose carrier safety ratings through the Carrier Safety Measurement System, thereby increasing the number of carriers we rate annually ten-fold.  The NPRM for this rule is expected in early 2011.

This month, the Agency completes a two and a half year nine-state field test of the program.  Preliminary findings show that we achieved a 35 percent increase in investigations using this approach.  We reached more carriers AND did so with greater efficiency.  And we have anecdotal evidence of carriers who examined and changed their business practices as the result of a CSA2010 contact and improved their safety…further confirming the old adage, "what gets measured gets done."

The roll-out for CSA 2010 officially began in April this year with the launch of the data preview.  The actual safety MEASUREMENT system will be previewed in late August, followed by full view to the public at the end of the year.  Remaining components – warning letters, NPRM, intervention process and more will continue to the end of fiscal year 2011.  By that time, CSA 2010 will be known only by its initials – CSA - Compliance, Safety, and Accountability. 

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this important safety program.  It is a big step forward in FMCSA's ongoing work to save lives through early intervention, compliance, and crash reduction. 

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my remarks.  I'd be pleased to take your questions.