A bill that made its way into the U.S. House last week — and being pushed by broker group Transportation Intermediaries Association — could be a small victory for trucking companies, says TIA’s Chris Burroughs.
The bill, he says, could limit the role of FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program and its use by third parties to hire or otherwise make judgments about trucking companies.
Carriers are losing business over CSA, he said. “Obviously there is this dark cloud out there that is CSA, and it’s hurting carriers’ business,” he said.
Lawsuits against shippers and brokers in recent years have exacerbated that problem, Burroughs said. Lawsuits alleging negligent selection of carriers — based on the fact that certain carriers were chosen by shippers or brokers despite the carriers’ percentile rankings in CSA’s Safety Measurement System BASICs — give cause for concern to carriers and shippers and brokers.
“Courts are holding these companies liable for millions of dollars, because they’re saying CSA scores should be just as much a part of carrier selection process as” items pushed by the recent House bill.
CSA rankings, he said, shouldn’t play a big role in a broker’s or shipper’s process in choosing a carrier — and that’s where the recent H.R. 1120 comes into play.
The bill would establish standards for carrier hiring, which would include checking their registration status with the DOT, ensuring they hold the federally required minimum amount of liability insurance and checking their safety status — satisfactory, conditional or unsatisfactory.
