The FMCSA is all about improving safety on the roads. They have different methods for upholding safety, and one of the those programs is the CSA’s Safety Measurement System. They want to direct their resources towards the highest-risk carriers. But the SMS is subject to change and improvements. So, the questions now are: how is the SMS used? And how does improving the SMS work? We’ll answer both of those questions.
How is the SMS used?
The Safety Measurement System is used in a variety of different ways. (It’s probably helpful to go over what the SMS does before getting into the details about how the SMS is improved and changed by the FMCSA.)
Here are a few of the uses of the SMS:
- Identify the motor carriers that require intervention efforts (i.e. warning letters, inspections, investigation)
- Pinpoint the particular problems that need to be addressed in the intervention
- Keep an eye on carrier compliance issues over time
That’s what the point of the SMS is and how it’s used. The FMCSA, as we’ve mentioned, takes safety very seriously.
How does improving the SMS work?
Now that we’ve gone over some of the ways the SMS is used, we’ll explain how the SMS gets improved and how that information gets conveyed to, well, the public. Since the FMCSA wants to make the roads safer, they improve the SMS on the regular – we’ve gone over that. To let the public know about the changes, they’re put on the CSA website and the Federal Register Notices.
The FMCSA introduces these measures by previewing them. The enhancements are also introduced through webinars. They get feedback from motor carriers, enforcement staff, and the public. So they’re not making all of these decisions randomly. They do take feedback into account.
The Agency knew full well that there would need to be changes to the SMS. With new data and analysis becoming available, plus feedback from partners and stakeholders, they realized it would be inevitable.
The FMCSA takes into account input from the industry, stakeholders, and safety advocates – it collects and analyzes this feedback so it can be more effective in finding safety problems before they turn into crashes. They know that teamwork is essential when it comes to furthering the mission of saving lives. It’s not something they attempt to do alone.
That’s how improving the SMS works. These changes can be announced on the CSA website. The FMCSA previews these changes and uses webinars. The FMCSA knew the SMS would have to be updated, and they do so by taking into account new data and feedback from motor carriers, stakeholders, and partners. So, that’s the deal about SMS improvements.
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