The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, released Compliance, Safety Accountability: Assessing the New Safety Measurement System and Its Implications – 2013 Update. This is the first in a new series of ATRI whitepapers covering a multitude of research topics critical to the trucking industry.
This whitepaper expands on ATRI’s previous CSA impacts research among commercial drivers and enforcement personnel. Approximately 7,800 driver responses were analyzed over a three-year period examining perceptions, attitudes and knowledge of CSA. In addition, ATRI partnered with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance to obtain a baseline level of enforcement personnel knowledge of CSA.
On average, drivers responded to the CSA knowledge test with 42.4 percent accuracy, suggesting that after three years of implementation drivers do not have a clear understanding of CSA. However, on a more positive note carrier-provided CSA training has increased steadily since 2011. Furthermore, driver job security concerns due to CSA have decreased by almost 10 percent over the three-year period.
Among enforcement personnel, respondents performed with 66.5 percent accuracy on the CSA knowledge test.
ATRI is expanding on this study’s findings by investigating driver CSA training content and frequency and the relationship these variables have to CSA knowledge. In addition, the enforcement personnel results provide a platform for further evaluation of enforcement personnel CSA knowledge and the potential impacts this may have on enforcement activities.
