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Schumer's legislation was proposed in the wake of two highly publicized accidents, including one last March when a low-cost carrier heading from Connecticut to Chinatown crashed be- tween the Bronx and Westchester, kill- ing 15 passengers. "It could ultimately be a valuable tool to help quality companies sell their service, rather than being treated more as a commodity, and the compe- tition being most strongly on rates," says Jack Wigley, president/CEO of Mesa, Ariz.-based All Aboard Ameri- ca! "The key is that the information on the site be accurate and kept current." Under the terms of MAP-21, rule- making for the so-called "Grading System" is set to be completed by October 2013. What is unclear is how this will impact the FMCSA's Com- pliance Safety Accountability (CSA) MAP-21 requires that the usefel- ness of several safety measures on motorcoach- es, including seat belts, be studied by the U.S. De- partment of Transportation and its associat- ed agencies. program, or how that system would somehow be combined with the new- ly proposed program. "CSA has done a better job in col- lecting data and raising awareness about safety, but the current CSA is not an end-all solution to assess the safety fi tness of a carrier. The safety as- Regulatory Update: FMCSA updates CSA I n August, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced several new improvements to its Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) enforcement program, enabling it to more quickly identify and address high-risk bus and truck companies with compliance concerns. The fi nal CSA changes will provide FMCSA with more precise information when assessing a company's over-the-road safety performance. The changes that are set to be implemented in December 2012 include: • Changing the Fatigued Driving BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) to the more specifi c Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC to more accurately refl ect violations in this area; and weighting HOS paper and electronic logbook violations equally. • Clarifying defi nition of passenger carrier companies by: 1. Adding carriers that operate for-hire nine- to 15-passenger vehicles and 16-plus passenger vehicles. 2. Removing carriers operating only one- to eight-passenger vehicles and private carriers operating one to 15-passenger vehicles, such as limousines, vans and taxis. • Strengthening the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC by including cargo/load securement violations from today's Cargo-Related BASIC. • Including intermodal equipment violations that should be found during drivers' pre-trip inspections. • Removing 1 mph to 5 mph speeding violations to ensure citations are consistent with current speedometer regulations. • Ensuring all recorded violations accurately refl ect the inspection type. • FMCSA provided a four-month preview period to ensure the public had multiple opportunities to review and comment on the proposed changes to CSA's online Safety Measurement System. Overall, 14,000 carriers and 1,700 law enforcement personnel participated in the public preview. The Federal Register Notice issued responses to the comments received as of July 30, 2012, regarding the preview of the updates to the system. sessment of a commercial carrier has to be more than just a few data points during a very limited time," says Jared Stancil, executive VP, Nashville, Tenn.- based Anchor Trailways. "To be able to provide a complete safety assess- ment, the proposed grading system will have to address the many vari- ables in a motor carrier's operations, the various interpretations of current and future laws, and require a hands- on approach when assigning a grade." "A lot of people were very support- ive of the grading system, and on the surface, it seems like a very straightfor- ward and easy way for consumers to evaluate the safety fi tness of a carrier," adds Parra. "Let's just wait and see how it plays out." MULTI-TIERED SAFETY APPROACH MAP-21 also creates a multi-tiered approach toward improving the safety of motorcoaches, both from the inside and the outside. To start, the bill requires that all car- riers applying for operating author- ity must prove an understanding of federal rules by completing a written examination. Although the "Pre-Au- thorization Safety Audit" was success- fully defeated, new entrants are also required to undergo a safety audit within 120 days of receiving operating authority. The new bill also prohibits a mo- tor carrier applicant from applying for new authority for three years if they are found to have been previously been declared unfi t. It further allows the SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2012 mETRO mAGAZINE > 69