Senate Passes Schaffer Legislation Aimed at Providing Fairness in the Commercial Trucking Industry
January 23, 2020
Tim Schaffer News
COLUMBUS— The Ohio Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 8, sponsored by State Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), urging the United States Congress to change the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data records to reflect only records of those found at-fault in automotive accidents, not the innocent drivers who are found not-at-fault.
This change will protect innocent not-at-fault drivers whose names are recorded in the FMCSA database. The current data records policy has led to increased insurance premiums and loss of commercial driving jobs for those who are considered not-at-fault in automotive accidents.
“H.C.R. 8 addresses an important issue that is affecting innocent drivers, specifically those in the commercial trucking industry,” said Schaffer. “This legislation specifically targets the Crash Indicator BASIC.”
The FMCSA is the governing body for the entire trucking industry. Its office of Compliance, Safety and Accountability has created the Safety Measurement System (SMS) that attempts to assess a driver’s performance in a series of seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC).
The FMCSA started a pilot program in August of 2017 called the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program. This program was created to find an answer to the many concerns regarding the Crash Indicator BASIC. With this program, the FMCSA allows motor carriers or drivers involved in certain crash types, outlined by the program, to submit a request to review whether the accident was not preventable. If it was found to not be preventable, the FMCSA will display on their profiles the crash indicator BASIC percentile with and without the crashes.
“H.C.R. 8 will urge Congress to take some action on this important issue. The pilot program is a great first acknowledgement from the FMCSA that there is a problem. However, an acknowledgement is not enough,” said Schaffer. “It is time that real changes take place so that safe and responsible commercial drivers in Ohio do not lose any more valuable work.”
For more information on House Concurrent Resolution 8, click here.
This change will protect innocent not-at-fault drivers whose names are recorded in the FMCSA database. The current data records policy has led to increased insurance premiums and loss of commercial driving jobs for those who are considered not-at-fault in automotive accidents.
“H.C.R. 8 addresses an important issue that is affecting innocent drivers, specifically those in the commercial trucking industry,” said Schaffer. “This legislation specifically targets the Crash Indicator BASIC.”
The FMCSA is the governing body for the entire trucking industry. Its office of Compliance, Safety and Accountability has created the Safety Measurement System (SMS) that attempts to assess a driver’s performance in a series of seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC).
The FMCSA started a pilot program in August of 2017 called the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program. This program was created to find an answer to the many concerns regarding the Crash Indicator BASIC. With this program, the FMCSA allows motor carriers or drivers involved in certain crash types, outlined by the program, to submit a request to review whether the accident was not preventable. If it was found to not be preventable, the FMCSA will display on their profiles the crash indicator BASIC percentile with and without the crashes.
“H.C.R. 8 will urge Congress to take some action on this important issue. The pilot program is a great first acknowledgement from the FMCSA that there is a problem. However, an acknowledgement is not enough,” said Schaffer. “It is time that real changes take place so that safe and responsible commercial drivers in Ohio do not lose any more valuable work.”
For more information on House Concurrent Resolution 8, click here.