Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/573961
54 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 T ruck inspection numbers rose nearly 20 percent between 2011 and 2013, the early years of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Compliance Safety Accountability pro- gram. Then, due to various factors, that total fell by close to 10 percent last year. Large regional disparities in the behavior of state truck enforcement departments that do the inspections and write the violations have continued, though some states have changed their inspection and violation priorities. These changes are highlighted in the latest update by CCJ's sister publication, Overdrive, as part of our ongoing CSA's Data Trail analysis. In addition to what's shown in these pages, there is much more detail at CCJDigital.com/CSA. One possible factor in the nationwide decline in inspections is the growing movement against CSA within the industry and even some areas of law enforcement. There have been wide- spread investigations, in venues ranging from these pages to Congress, of the program's inequities. "I think there's a lot of legitimacy to the movement until these scores are fixed," said Dan Murray, Ameri- can Transportation Research Institute vice president. Speaking in April at the Truckload Carriers Association's Safety & Security Division meeting, Murray said that as a result of industry pressure, Overall inspections fell in 2014 as industry and law enforcement stepped up the push to revamp the CSA program. Meanwhile, state enforcement intensity continues to vary widely, with violations continuing to tilt toward on-highway infractions and hours. BY TODD DILLS