How BASIC are you?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program’s BASIC categories may seem anything but, well, basic. BASIC stands for Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category. There are seven BASIC categories – vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, crash indicator, fatigued driving (hours-of-service), controlled substance/alcohol abuse, driver fitness and cargo related.

The BASIC categories allow CSA to determine how a motor carrier ranks relative to other carriers with a similar number of safety events (i.e., inspections, violations, or crashes). Motor carriers can see how they stand in each category by logging into the SMS website.

To help you better understand the BASIC program, the CSA just released a set of fact sheets on each category. You can download the fact sheet and learn more here.

Surge of cargo theft is ‘hitting us like lightning,’ experts say

In the first quarter of 2024, cargo theft incidents were up more than 46% compared with the year prior, according to CargoNet. Notably, it’s also a 10% rise from the fourth quarter last year.

CargoNet analysis of the first quarter of 2024 documented 925 incidents, with an average stolen shipment value of $281,757. The declared total value was $76 million, and the firm estimated a total of $154.6 million worth of goods were stolen during the period.

Trucking innovation

Picture it: December 1935. The Douglas Aircraft company has rolled out the first DC-3 commercial passenger aircraft – a revolutionary, two-engine, all metal, low-wing aircraft that would soon dominate commercial aviation. Yet I suspect there were some industry people that said it was inadequate, that it didn’t have enough range, or carry enough weight, or that it was too costly.

FMCSA easing fleet requirements for under-21 pilot program

FMCSA officially removing driver-facing camera requirement from under-21 pilot

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced via a Federal Register notice that will publish Tuesday, May 14, that it is removing two requirements from its under-21 interstate pilot program, as directed by Congress.

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Surge of cargo theft is ‘hitting us like lightning,’ experts say

Trucking innovation

FMCSA easing fleet requirements for under-21 pilot program