Sen. Deb Fischer Introduces CSA Bill
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) has introduced legislation intended to address frivolous litigation that is based upon the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability scoring program.
The Transportation and Logistics Hiring Reform Act, introduced this month, also would establish hiring standards for third-party logistics and shipping companies. Additionally, the legislation would require FMCSA to release within 18 months its Safety Fitness Determination rule, according to background the senator’s office provided.
Fischer, chairwoman of a Commerce panel with jurisdiction over trucking regulations, has indicated a recent Government Accountability Office report that concluded FMCSA had demonstrated challenges in its reliability of CSA’s safety measurement system in predicting carrier crashes prompted her to seek improvements at the agency.
Earlier this year, Rep. Lou Barletta ( R-Pa.), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure panel, introduced legislation that would keep FMCSA from making public truck and bus operator safety scores until the agency redesigns its measurement system.
Under that bill, the U.S. Department of Transportation would have to contract with the National Academy of Public Administration to have the academy do a study on how to improve the CSA program.
“A faulty safety score might as well be no safety score,” Barletta told Transport Topics.
