Uneven Reporting Skews Safestat Data, Conferees Told

ORLANDO, Fla. — California and certain other states are much more likely than most states to report truckers’ out-of-service violations to the federal government, a fact that skews the computer program that helps target fleets for enforcement, a trucking insurance official said last week.

James York, manager of the transportation team for insurer and safety consultant Zurich Services, said unevenness in the reporting process “is a statistician’s nightmare.” He gave trucking executives a lesson Oct. 29 on how Safestat works at ATA’s annual Management Conference & Exhibition.

Safestat is the computer program the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration uses to decide which fleets get the comprehensive compliance reviews. A key member of Congress recently asked the Department of Transportation to look into reporting for the program.

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