New truck driver rules to keep Louisiana roads safer.

In December 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) launched CSA, for Compliance, Safety, Accountability. CSA is a program to improve safety through a new model of enforcement and compliance. This model allows the FMCSA to contact a much larger number of carriers earlier in order to address safety problems before crashes occur.

Regarding their impact on Louisiana truck drivers, the new CSA tasks are to:

• Monitor the performance and safety records of individual truck drivers;
• Address drivers with safety issues, based on their histories with previous and current employers;
• And hold both the motor carrier and the driver responsible for safety concerns.

The new model will allow the FMCSA to monitor and assess performance of drivers during a 3-year period, across multiple employers, through a scorecard that a truck driver can now consult in real time.

The FMCSA can start investigations on “high profile” drivers leading to a Notice of Violation or Notice of Claim. As a result, drivers could face fines, corrective actions or even a request to completely cease operations, all of which can be avoided if they agree to follow a safety program.

Some of the violations that will penalize a driver in the new point system are:

• Following the vehicle ahead too closely;
• Failure to keep the previous 7 days’ log;
• Not signing duty status (service or rest hours) records;
• And violation of an Out-Of-Service order.

CSA also implies many changes for Louisiana motor carriers. Most of all, CSA allows the FMCSA to follow up and control the safety regulations enforcement of a much larger proportion of the 700,000-plus motor carriers operating in the country.

Several violations are deemed by the FMCSA to be automatic audit failures, such as:

• Refusing to implement a drug testing program;
• Employing a driver who has tested positive for any controlled substance;
• Hiring a driver without a valid driver’s license;
• Failure to correct service defects in a truck;
• And failure to regularly inspect all vehicles.

With all the regulations to which motor carriers are subject, a claim following a truck accident in Louisiana is going to be played by very different rules than a crash with a passenger car.

If you have been hurt in a Louisiana truck accident, contact the truck accident attorneys of the Young Firm in New Orleans immediately for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.