Safety Measurement System
Within the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Operational Model, the
Safety Measurement System (SMS)
quantifies the on-road safety performance of carriers and drivers to identify candidates
for interventions, determine the specific safety problems that a carrier or driver
exhibits, and to monitor whether safety problems are improving or worsening. SMS
has replaced SafeStat in the new Operational Model.
SMS uses a motor carrier’s data from roadside inspections, including all safety-based
violations, State-reported crashes, and the Federal motor carrier census to quantify
performance in the following Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories
(BASICs).
CSA BASICs:
- Unsafe Driving — Operation of commercial motor vehicles
(CMVs) by drivers in a dangerous or careless manner. Example violations:
Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention. (FMCSR Parts
392
and
397)
- Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance — Operation of CMVs by
drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in non-compliance with the HOS regulations. This
BASIC includes violations of regulations pertaining to records of duty status (RODS)
as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue Example
violations: HOS RODS, and operating a CMV while ill or fatigued. (FMCSR
Parts
392
and
395)
- Driver Fitness — Operation of CMVs by drivers who are unfit
to operate a CMV due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualifications.
Example violations: Failure to have a valid and appropriate commercial driver’s
license (CDL) and being medically unqualified to operate a CMV. (FMCSR Parts
383
and
391)
- Controlled Substances/Alcohol — Operation of CMVs by drivers
who are impaired due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and misuse of prescription or over-the-counter
medications. Example violations: Use or possession of controlled substances/alcohol.
(FMCSR Parts
382
and
392)
- Vehicle Maintenance — Failure to properly maintain a CMV
and/or properly prevent shifting loads. Example violations: Brakes, lights,
and other mechanical defects, failure to make required repairs, and improper load
securement. (FMCSR Parts
392,
393
and
396)
- Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance — Unsafe handling of
HM on a CMV. Example violations: Release of HM from package, no shipping
papers (carrier), and no placards/markings when required. (FMCSR Part
397
and Hazardous Materials Regulations Parts 171, 172, 173, 177, 178, 179, and 180)
- Crash Indicator — Histories or patterns of high crash involvement,
including frequency and severity. It is based on information from State-reported
crashes
A carrier’s measurement for each BASIC depends on the following:
- The number of adverse safety events (violations related to that BASIC or crashes)
- The severity of violations or crashes
- When the adverse safety events occurred (more recent events are weighted more heavily).
After a measurement is determined, the carrier is then placed in a peer group (e.g.,
other carriers with similar numbers of inspections). Percentiles from 0 to 100 are
then determined by comparing the BASIC measurements of the carrier to the measurements
of other carriers in the peer group. A percentile 100 indicates the worst performance.