Statements
Statement of Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez before Full Committee hearing entitled: "Is FMCSA’s CSA Program Driving Small Businesses Off the Road?"
Washington, DC,
July 11, 2012
The trucking industry has an enormous impact on our economy. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, trucks annually transport 9 billion tons of freight valued at more than $8 trillion. The trucking industry is also composed mainly of small business operators. Of the 76,000 firms nationwide, 95 percent have 40 or fewer trucks. The large economic impact is not without risks. Over 5,000 people are killed annually in commercial motor carrier accidents. A number of steps have been taken to improve highway safety over the years, starting in the 1930’s with Hours-of-Service limitations. Today’s hearing will focus on the Department of Transportation’s newest approach, CSA 2010, to remove unfit drivers and carriers from the nation’s highways. The CSA program seeks to analyze not only motor carriers but drivers who are at risk from a safety standpoint. Instead of simply reporting data which the FMCSA believes demonstrates the safety status of a motor carrier or a driver, the goal is to measure safety performance across a broad range of indicators, including driver fatigue and fitness, drug and alcohol use, crash history, and vehicle maintenance. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has argued the changes will have a minimal impact on the transportation industry while increasing highway safety and reducing casualties. However, some estimate the proposal could decrease the pool of commercial drivers by up to 10 percent, resulting in higher prices on everything from consumer goods to raw materials. CSA will allow FMCSA to reach a broader spectrum of trucking firms than its previous safety audit program, which only focused on the “worst of the worst” or about one to two percent of motor carriers. By expanding oversight, FMCSA will be more comprehensive in its scope of industry coverage and allow for intervention before more serious violations occur. Trucking firms are able to access a five-year history of driver crash data and a three-year history of roadside inspection data before hiring drivers. Under the previous system, trucking firms had to contact previous employers to obtain a driver’s safety history. The time and expense to track down this information placed many small firms at a clear disadvantage during the hiring process. CSA will provide small carriers with a level playing field to compete for the best drivers, while preventing unsafe drivers from gaming the system. The program is not without its drawbacks, however, and still relies heavily on state-level authorities, including the police and safety inspectors. Many trucking industry representatives contend that crash and inspection data is not being properly reported to the FMCSA, resulting in inaccurate safety scores. Carrier safety scores will be publicly available and if based on the wrong information, could lead to a loss of business for affected firms. Critics have also pointed to the wide disparity in the level of safety enforcement among states. A trucker that happens to operate more in states with heavier enforcement will have a worse score than a trucker that happens to operate in states with lighter enforcement. Again, this can negatively affect both drivers and carriers when they compete with out-of-state firms for business opportunities. Today we will examine how the CSA program is affecting small businesses and hear from firms that will be impacted by the changes. While the goal is to improve safety by reducing unsafe driving practices, it is imperative that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration properly balance highway safety with the economic impact on small trucking businesses. In advance of the testimony, I want to thank all the witnesses who traveled here today for both their participation and insights into this important topic. Thank you and I yield back. |
