Law Enforcement Errors Cause Problems for Motor Carriers - High CSA Scores

By now most of you are aware of the new scoring system that CSA 2010 has brought us, known as the Safety Measurement System (SMS).  For several months now we have seen how violations found during roadside inspections turn into points that are, for lack of nicer words, held against us as motor carriers and drivers.

This new point system may have been created and implemented to bring light to carriers that they need to step up their efforts in improving safety, and to the DOT in monitoring carriers who may need to be audited, however, the system has one very large fault.

The fault lies in the thousands of uninformed, misinformed, or untrained law enforcement officers throughout the United States.  City Police Officers, County Officers, and even State Highway Patrol Officers have far too many times cited drivers for being in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations when, in fact, the driver was not in violation at all.

One perfect example that just occurred in January 2012 was an Indiana State Trooper cited a driver for a log book violation.  The violation.......signing the log before the end of the day.  This is so bogus I want to spit fire.  This has caused the driver and the company to have points in error, which could be considered defamation of character. 

My question to anyone reading this is "When will these law enforcement officers be help responsible for the errors they make like everyone else"?  "When will they be required to get the necessary training like everyone else"?  "When will they have to pay a fine for their mistakes like everyone else"?  "When will they be suspended without pay for making mistakes like we do our drivers"?

At least we have a way to contest the violations that show up on the SMS.  There is a system called the "Data-Q" in which a carrier can open a case to have the issue corrected.

My favorite site online is www.safersys.org. When you go into this site and scroll down you will see three columns of links that motor carriers need to know about.  One of these links is the Data-Q.

Good luck my friends, and don't hesitate to contact me for further discussions or training.

Steve