As the supply chain becomes more complex due to e-commerce and globalization, companies must find ways to stay ahead. One of the essential elements is motor carrier safety compliance. More and more products are required to be shipped in a matter of days, and businesses are working hard towards meeting those high demands while still complying with safety and quality requirements.
For shippers, finding a trusted carrier partner that will allow them to meet the needs of their clients, delivering their freight on time and in excellent conditions, is fundamental. But, as the demand grows, competition grows with it. There are many carrier options shippers can turn to, which depend on their specific transportation needs.
For this reason, carriers must find ways to provide high-quality services to become the number one solution for shipper needs. Here’s where considering motor carrier safety compliance comes in handy since it’s one of the fundamental elements’ companies search for when contracting carrier services.
What is motor carrier safety compliance?
Safety compliance was created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to regulate the trucking industry and ensure safety on the road. The FMCSA agency established the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) program to give national standards for carriers and provide safer and reliable services.
Seven Scores of the CSA
The CSA created seven scores to regulate safety and carrier performance.
- Unsafe driving
- Crash indicator
- Hours of Service (HOS) compliance
- Vehicle maintenance
- Controlled substance/alcohol
- Hazardous materials compliance
- Driver fitness
These scores are measured on a scale from 1 to 100 points. The lower the score, the better the performance. The FMCSA is in charge of calculating and publishing the scores monthly. The CSA scores drivers and carriers since it stays on their records and may impact any possible work relationship.
Having this program in place allows the roads to be safer and helps shippers find the best-qualified carrier partners for their needs, allowing them to feel comfortable with the carriers transporting their freight.
Benefits of motor carrier safety compliance
Many benefits come from complying with carrier safety; here a just a few.
- Better shipper/carrier relationships
A great CSA score will allow carriers to create better relationships with shippers based on transparency and high-quality services. These scores give shippers insight into the carrier’s overall performance and help them know since before they even start working with them, that the services will be of the highest quality and completely safe.
- Ensures client trust
Shippers can rely on carriers that have good CSA scores and will know exactly what their performance will probably be like on various essential safety matters.
- Company image
As carriers become the “face” of the shippers they are working for, they need to have a spotless record and avoid any lousy reputation gained through reckless or unsafe behaviors. Shippers require carrier partners that can ship the freight on time, maintain its integrity, and report any issues along the way immediately.
CSA scores ensure carriers will perform their best, positively impacting shippers’ work relationships by providing outstanding services.
- Reduces costs
By complying with safety regulations, carriers will avoid any fines during routine inspections, or worse, shutdowns due to more severe infractions. Depending on the violation, penalties can be costly, which may cause significant financial issues for carriers.
- Safe environment
Naturally, always having in mind the motor carrier safety compliance will create a safer environment, not just for each carrier, but for all carriers transporting freight throughout the country, which is ultimately why these regulations were created.
- Creates harmony
Complying with safety requirements allows carriers to perform their best and maintain good work relationships with clients. Providing safe and reliable services enhances the working relationship and ensures that shippers continue to have good partnerships to transport freight constantly throughout the country.
In a vast industry with high demand and even higher competition, carriers must provide the best services possible so that shippers choose them to become their trusted transportation partners. By considering and applying the necessary actions for motor carrier safety compliance, shippers will feel that they have a partner they can rely on and know that their freight will always be in excellent hands.
