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Truck Insurance: How The CSA 2010 Can Harm The Industry

The Compliance Safety Accountability 2010, or CSA 2010, is a comprehensive program designed by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) to improve safety for trucks and other commercial vehicles, but some people wonder if it could have an indirect affect on job availability and truck insurance rates.

The aim of the program is to analyze data relevant to commercial truck safety and implement new safety regulations based on their findings. Data is collected by reviewing driving records of both truck drivers and large-scale motor carriers.

CSA 2010 presents their safety data (which includes driver's records, company accident history, equipment ratings, etc) as public record. One needs only to visit the website to view safety scores, leaving some concerned that prospective employers or truck insurance companies may access this information in order to jump to unnecessary conclusions.

Concerns About Misleading Data

One of the biggest concerns is that the CSA 2010 safety scores do not reflect whether a driver or company was at fault in a traffic accident. Opponents of CSA 2010 worry that this misleading data can cost people jobs in the future. The info, being public, would also be made available for commercial truck insurance providers to access for relevant determinations.

Many organizations that represent the trucking industry, including the Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) oppose this program. The OOIDA, in particular, feels that the rating system unfairly penalizes independent drivers more than motor carriers.

Who Has Access To These Scores?

The other major concern is that this safety data is available for any one to view. This means that commercial truck insurance companies can use this data to raise insurance rates fro drivers and carriers with bad scores, even if those scores don't rightfully reflect their history.

In short, the CSA 2010 program's initiatives are supposedly in the interest of safety, but we may see a negative effect on commercial truck insurance rates because of it.

Patrick Winchester is a freelance writer with commercial truck insurance expertise. Need to save on truck insurance while keeping legit coverage? Visit http://royaltytruckinsurance.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com