CVSA Presses DOT to Gauge Effect of Heavier Weights on Vehicle Parts

This story appears in the Oct. 8 print edition of Transport Topics.

PORTLAND, Maine — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to consider the safety effects of heavier weights on vehicle components such as axles and suspension and brake parts as part of a congressionally mandated truck size and weight study.

A study of heavier trucks was mandated in the new transportation law signed by President Obama in July.

The bill, titled the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, or MAP-21, also calls for a compilation of existing state truck size-and-weight laws.

“The Alliance believes that this study should be a top priority for DOT, and we urge you to begin work on it immediately, so that it can be completed within the time frame dictated by MAP-21,” said the Oct. 1 letter to LaHood, approved here by CVSA’s executive committee on Sept. 27 during the group’s annual conference.

The group also asked LaHood to study whether adequate funding is available for size-and-weight enforcement.

 Just in case David Palmer, CVSA’s outgoing president, did not make it clear to a House subcommittee hearing on the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program on Sept. 13, the group forwarded written comments to Congress pointing out that regulatory compliance — and not just crash risk — should be an important element of motor carrier safety scores.

“Some in industry have argued that so-called ‘paperwork violations’ should not be included in a carrier’s SMS scores,” the written supplementary testimony said. “CVSA disagrees strongly and believes that regulatory compliance must be taken into account.”

“Certainly, behaviors that can be directly linked to crash risk are important and should be a factor in CSA. But noncompliance with a set of regulations should not be disregarded simply because that regulation cannot be directly tied to crash risk.”

The written comments appeared to reference testimony at the CSA hearing by Scott Mugno, vice president of safety for FedEx Ground, who said that crash risk should remain CSA’s centerpiece.

Mugno, who testified on behalf of American Trucking Associations at the hearing, said that ATA supports CSA but takes issue with certain specific elements.

“CSA scores must reflect future crash risk,” Mugno said.

“If they did, ATA would support the system, since it would provide means for responsible fleets to distinguish themselves from those that do not share their commitment to safety, properly leverage third parties to drive carriers to invest in safety, and to make better use of federal enforcement resources.”

 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had planned to quickly post a new direct tank truck definition rule that would erase a requirement for drivers who transport storage container tanks that are empty or contain residue to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement.

But Bill Quade, FMCSA’s associate administrator, said because there was a single negative comment to the May 24 rule posting, federal law requires the agency to move through the rulemaking process, which could take 15 to 24 months to complete.

In the meantime, Quade said that no matter how painful the delay, truckers must comply with the current definition, or risk putting their CSA scores in jeopardy.

 FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program safety scores remain a hot topic for motor carriers.

Several fleets attending a question-and-answer session with Quade complained that many carriers

are working hard to improve their percentile rankings, including receiving clean roadside inspections, only to see them increase or remain static.

Some questioned whether FMCSA was using an accurate algorithm in computing their percentile scores.

Actually, Quade said, on average carriers’ scores increased 10% the first year of the program.

“So if you saw a 10% improvement you were average,” Quade said.

“Frankly, we’re far away from everybody being good. Let me put it in terms of grades. We’re so far from everybody being an A, it’s not funny.”

 CVSA’s executive committee on Sept. 27 approved a recommendation by the organization’s vehicle committee that will require inspectors to place a vehicle out of service if the sidewall of a tire is repaired with a plug or plug patch.

Instead, tires must be fixed with a “section repair” that will keep moisture from seeping into the tire and corroding the steel belt inside.

Plugs will, however, continue to be permitted on the tire tread, the executive committee said.