to do so right away."
When it comes to CSA's Vehicle Maintenance BASIC, Sandberg urged fleets to reduce their risk of intervention by establishing tighter controls on DVIRs (driver vehicle inspection reports), periodic
maintenance, and annual inspections.
"Vehicle maintenance is one of the toughest areas to track," she said.
"Many drivers consider DVIRs a nuisance and many companies do not have adequate controls to monitor pre- and post-trip inspections. Follow-through on deficiencies noted in DVIRs is often weak or non-existent as well.
It is critical that carriers have a robust system to monitor all required vehicle maintenance items."
Sandberg also reminded fleets that their new safety ratings will be available
to the general public online (with the exception of the crash rating) as well as to shippers and brokers. Shippers will want to see a fleet's CSA ratings, she said, because they can share accountability for
an accident if they hire a carrier with poor CSA ratings.
It is too bad that litigation shapes the way things work, Sandberg noted, but it does. "I've already seen several lawsuits where
shippers or brokers are being sued along with their carriers," she said. "That is the approach plaintiffs' attorneys are now taking."
More than 250 people attended the live
webcast and Sandberg fielded numerous questions, from how peer groups are selected for CSA to the appeal process if a carrier feels a rating is unjust.
In response to a question about the
impact of CSA on freight rates, she said that while increasing safety is a good goal, the supply chain would definitely feel the impact of the new procedure. Sandberg said that will be expressed in terms of
decreased capacity, higher rates and increased costs for goods and materials.
The complete webcast, including the Q&A portion of the program, is now available online at no charge
. Link to it from the
