Comment from the VP of Safety – CSA and HOS Update

The CSA scores have updated for June and our scores at TMC are all well below threshold. The unfortunate part of how the CSA system comes up with a score in each Basic is that it is based on not only what you do as a company, but what other companies do in your peer group. Very simply, if we drop more inspections in a Basic than what we add, our scores may not drop based on what happens with the other carriers in our peer group in that particular Basic. We could be reducing violations and getting better in every category month over month, yet our scores may not reflect the true activity of the company. This is why it is so important to make sure drivers continue to improve and not let their violations and associated points get away from them.

The TMC Safety Department reviews the scores of all of our drivers on a monthly basis. Every driver that is inspected roadside that has any violations written has a conversation either that day or that week with their Safety Manager. The violation is discussed as well as the CSA impact on the company, as well as on the driver as an individual. We are firm in our belief that emphasis on CSA and the sharing of information is what allows us to maintain good scores in all Basics. It has also allowed us to drive scores down and improve in each Basic.

Drivers can now see their individual scores online on their driver connection page. These scores currently update monthly. Drivers and customers can view TMC's CSA scores anytime by following this link http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Data/Search.aspx and entering TMC's DOT number 87409

Switching gears from CSA to the Hours of Service Proposal, there is no word yet as to how the final rule will be written. There was much commentary and feedback through the comment period when the Hours of Service Proposal was published. As a company we are concerned that if passed the way they were written that it would impact productivity. This would not only have a negative effect on the company as well as our drivers, but would also impact our customers from a service standpoint. We have submitted our comments to the FMCSA and, like everyone else, are waiting to hear the direction that FMCSA will take with the Hours of Service proposal.

For more information on the HOS proposal please visit, http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos-proposed/hos-proposed.aspx