You can reduce the chances of an accident by training, monitoring, and reforming driver behavior using dash cam technology.
Mark Schedler
Identification and Correction
The best defense against an accident is not having one. But with the number of miles traveled and the realities of highway travel, you cannot avoid all accidents. However, you can reduce the chances of an accident by training, monitoring, and reforming driver behavior using dash cam technology. A dash cam system accelerates the identification and correction of unsafe behaviors and sustains the change with ongoing coaching and recognition.
Carriers that correctly use a dash cam system as part of a continual driver training process have achieved best-in-class risk mitigation. A 2019 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of carriers who used video event-based coaching and training along with other safety strategies revealed the following results:
- Seven carriers reported that their DOT crash rate decreased an average of 49%.
- Three carriers shared that their Unsafe Driving BASIC showed an average 37% improvement.
- Five carriers reported an average 42% improvement in their Crash Indicator BASIC.
Fleets shared in separate study1 how they are leveraging dash cams and the results they are seeing:
- Nearly 53% said they are now analyzing hard braking events to discover driver behavior trends.
- Over 47% are using the data to improve driving training programs.
- Over 22% said their CSA scores have improved since installation.
The Best Legal Defense is Prevention
In their 2020 study, Understanding the Impact of Verdicts on the Trucking Industry, The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) in Arlington, VA, found that verdict awards over $1 million had skyrocketed.
Additional research by ATRI presented in The Impact of Small Verdicts and Settlements on the Trucking Industry showed that more than 600 cases resulted in a settlement or verdict award of less than $1 million.
Why such significant awards? Because a carrier’s actions are judged in court by what they should have known and done, not what they took the time to find and correct. A carrier must correct any unsafe situation that could affect the motoring public, which is made easier by monitoring driver behavior using video.
The study noted a correlation between cases in which carriers were accused of poor hiring or training practices and cases with drivers who had previous driving or hours-of-service violations.
The ATRI Crash Predictor Model study correlated traffic violation or conviction to the increased likelihood of a crash with examples such as:
Failure to Yield Right of Way violation . . . . . . . . . . . . 141%
Failure to Use/Improper Turn Signal conviction . . . . 116%
Reckless Driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104%
Failure to Obey Traffic Sign conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . .85%
Failure to Keep Proper Lane conviction . . . . . . . . . . . . 78%
Reckless/Careless/Inattentive Driving conviction . . . 62%
When it comes to driver training, you should actively prioritize the prevention of the most costly infractions that ATRI shares and that your dash cam videos and data reveal.
Matt Cole
Following executive orders from President Donald Trump related to the administration’s deregulatory agenda, the Department of Transportation is asking for public input on existing regulations and other regulatory documents that can be modified or repealed to help meet the administration’s goals.
In a Federal Register notice published Thursday, the DOT said it is seeking “comments and information to assist DOT in identifying existing regulations, guidance, paperwork requirements, and other regulatory obligations that can be modified or repealed, consistent with law, to ensure that DOT administrative actions do not undermine the national interest and that DOT achieves meaningful burden reduction while continuing to meet statutory obligations and ensure the safety of the U.S. transportation system.”
Trump’s executive orders require:
- Unless prohibited by law, whenever an agency proposes a new regulation, it must identify at least 10 existing regulations to be repealed, a significant expansion of a similar executive order issued during Trump’s first term requiring just two regulations be repealed for any one promulgated.
- For fiscal year 2025, all agencies must ensure that the total incremental cost of all new regulations, including repealed regulations, being finalized is significantly less than zero, as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), unless otherwise required by law or instructions from OMB
- Any new incremental costs associated with new regulations must, to the extent permitted by law, be offset by the elimination of existing costs associated with at least 10 prior regulations
Citing a February executive order relative to the “President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Deregulatory Agenda,” too, the DOT Federal Register notice outlined seven categories of regulation it was seeking to identify, as all federal agencies must report them to “the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget” for potential action:
- Unconstitutional regulations and those that raise serious constitutional difficulties, exceeding the intended scope of government power.
- Regs based on unlawful delegations of legislative power.
- Regs based on faulty interpretation of underlying statutory authority or prohibition.
- Those not authorized by clear statutory authority that implicate matters of social, political or economic significance.
- Rules that impose significant costs on private parties not outweighed by public benefits.
- Regs that harm the national interest by impeding technological innovation, infrastructure development, disaster response, inflation reduction, research and development, economic development, energy production, land use, and foreign policy objectives.
- Finally, regs that impose undue burdens on small business and impede private enterprise and entrepreneurship.
To implement the executive orders, DOT is taking two immediate steps: opening public comment as described here, and creating an email inbox at Transportation.RegulatoryInfo@dot.gov. Individuals can use that inbox to identify for DOT existing regulations, guidance, reporting requirements, and other regulatory obligations that they believe can be modified or repealed, consistent with law.
In the Request for Information (RFI) published Thursday, DOT is looking to identify “regulations, guidance or reporting requirements that are obsolete, unnecessary, unjustified, or simply no longer make sense.” It’s also looking to identify regs, guidance or reporting requirements that should be altered or eliminated.
In filing comments, commenters are asked to provide, to the extent possible, supporting data or other information such as cost information, and specific suggestions regarding repeal, replacement, or modification.
DOT has provided 12 questions related to Trump’s executive orders that commenters can respond to.
Comments can be filed online here, or by emailing Transportation.RegulatoryInfo@dot.gov, and including “Regulatory Reform RFI” in the subject line. Written comments and information are requested on or before May 5.
DOT’s call for input follows a request from Trump and Elon Musk’s new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, for Americans to inform the top levels of the executive branch on waste, fraud and abuse at federal agencies.
Overdrive polling about what truckers would like to see DOGE tackle highlighted ELDs, truck parking and temporary visa/permanent work programs for foreign/immigrant drivers as among top issues they’d like to see addressed, among other areas of interest.
During President Trump’s first term, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee was tasked with making recommendations for regulations that were “outdated, unnecessary or ineffective,” and those that “impose costs that exceed benefits,” FMCSA said at the time.
FMCSA brought its own ideas to the meeting where the committee considered the task, and both FMCSA’s and MCSAC members’ recommendations from that effort can be seen here in discussion notes. Among regulatory provisions that were eliminated as a result were 1-5 a.m. periods required in any 34-hour restart under the hours of service (suspended by Congress prior), likewise requirements related to filing/storing no-defect Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports.
Members of the public were invited to provide written and/or in-person ideas to that committee at the time, yet few such ideas are reflected in the discussion notes, and it’s unclear what, if any, made it into the final report on the task, accessible via this link.
As noted above, Trump’s executive order during that term called for the elimination of just two regs for every new one instead of the 10 required during this term. Discussion among stakeholders and the FMCSA at that time, according to the MCSAC meeting discussion notes, acknowledged that “removing an obsolete rule allows the agency to add more safety regulations.”
By Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association and immediate past chair of the Trucking Association Executives Council.
On February 11, Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders signed Act 28 into law, addressing litigation reform in the state relating to large truck crashes. The Bill eliminates phantom damages from medical expense recoveries. This significant legislation defines recoverable medical charges based on amounts actually paid and accepted, rather than inflated billed amounts.
Phantom damages—the difference between billed charges and actual payments—have been artificially inflating settlements and increasing costs across multiple industries, including transportation. While ensuring injured parties remain fully and appropriately compensated, the new law will not affect other damage categories or impact subrogation rights.
Though some state news coverage labeled the bill “tort reform-lite,” this victory is far from insignificant for trucking. What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is the persistence with which it was secured. This isn’t the first time Arkansas has attempted to address phantom damages. The legislation that ultimately passed with 46 cosponsors is practically identical to one that failed in 2023.
Arkansas’s success may be attributable partly to a new champion. House Speaker Rep. Brian Evans, a logistics business owner, understands the industry and the effects of an unjust judicial system on businesses, as well as the downstream effects on customers and citizens who ultimately pay inflated prices.
This victory in Arkansas is part of a growing wave of reform across the country. In 2023, Florida scored a major triumph when the state eliminated one-way attorney’s fees and fee multipliers. Working closely with Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Trucking Association and its allies secured passage of a law that addresses transparency of medical damages and requires consideration of fault in assessing liability. The Florida law also reduces the statute of limitations from four to two years in order to discourage less meritorious lawsuits and focus resources on legitimate cases.
In the same year, Iowa capped non-economic damages to $5 million per plaintiff in trucking cases and eliminated liability for negligent hiring claims when drivers are acting within the scope of their duties. These successes required strong buy-in from Senate leadership.
The Nebraska and Maryland’s Legislatures are currently taking up bills to cap non-economic damages. Nebraska senators have also filed bills to allow evidence that a person was not wearing a seat belt to be admissible in civil proceedings determining liability, to reduce the statute of limitations in personal injury cases and to disclose third-party financing in litigation.
These state-by-state victories are the direct result of an initiative that began six years ago when American Trucking Associations named lawsuit abuse a tier one advocacy priority. The initiative required restructuring and inverting their advocacy approach to empower state associations in a state-by-state fight.
ATA’s prioritization on this topic has generated crucial momentum. Since 2019, over half of U.S. states have filed reform bills, with twelve successfully enacting meaningful reforms.
This strategy is necessary because each state’s legal environment and legislative opportunities for change differ significantly. Despite our interstate industry’s preference for uniformity, reform on this issue must happen state-by-state, with advocacy strategies tailored to local opportunities. The Arkansas Trucking Association is proud to put the first victory of 2025 on the board, doing our part to make our corner of the map a better place to operate. As more states join this movement, the scales of justice come a little closer back into balance.
CVSA’s 2025 Out-of-Service Criteria Now in Effect
CVSA’s 2025 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) are now in effect, as of today, April 1. The new criteria supersede all previous versions. There are different formats (e.g., print, electronic, French, Spanish, etc.) available for purchase through the CVSA online store. The 2025 OOSC are also available in the OOSC app, which is downloadable from App Store or Google Play. To place bulk orders (50 or more) of the handbook or the app, contact CVSA Manager of Administrative Services Wendy Hall via email or call 202-998-1014.
CVSA Supports Nomination of Derek Barrs to Serve as FMCSA Administrator
CVSA released a statement expressing its full support for the nomination of Derek Barrs to serve as administrator of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Barrs’ commitment to commercial motor vehicle safety spans two decades, serving in various law enforcement capacities for the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Highway Patrol. Most recently, he served as associate vice president at HNTB, a transportation infrastructure solutions firm.
Nominate a Professional Driver for the International Driver Excellence Award
Do you know an exceptional commercial truck or motorcoach driver? Nominate them for the International Driver Excellence Award, which recognizes an extraordinary professional commercial motor vehicle driver and their commitment to public safety. The deadline for nominations is Friday, May 9.
CVSA Accepting College Scholarship Applications
CVSA is accepting applications for two $5,000 college scholarship awards. The applicant must be a graduating high school senior who is the legal dependent of a current CVSA member (board members excluded) with a minimum high school grade point average (or equivalent) of 3.0 and must be a citizen or permanent legal resident of Canada, Mexico or the U.S. CVSA will consider academic performance, volunteer work, community service and extracurricular activities. The deadline to apply is April 30.
Register for the CVSA Workshop by April 11
Register for the CVSA Workshop, scheduled for April 27-May 1 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The CVSA Workshop provides the opportunity for enforcement, government officials and industry to continue to work together to advance CMV safety. Registration fees increase in all membership categories by $50 per registrant after Friday, April 11.
Additionally, the North American Cargo Securement Harmonization Public Forum will take place on April 27 from 1-5 p.m. in conjunction with the workshop. This public forum is open to all stakeholders to discuss cargo securement regulations in pursuit of developing and implementing uniform regulatory requirements for the securement of cargo on and within CMVs throughout North America. There is no additional fee to attend; however, separate registration is required. The deadline to register is April 11.
Rob Abbott
When drivers approach weigh stations on the Interstate, they know they might be directed to pull in and submit to a thorough truck inspection. If that happens, enforcement officials will typically conduct an exhaustive examination for defects. They’ll look for worn tires, brakes out of adjustment, and burned-out lightbulbs for starters. They will also scrutinize the driver’s license, medical certificate, permits, registration, bills of lading, and electronic logging device (ELD) records.
Of course, drivers don’t relish these inspections since they take time and present the potential for citations. Most wonder what caused them to be selected for these inspections and what they can do about it. The answer is a little complex but not impossible to understand.
While enforcement officials use various tools and criteria to select trucks and drivers for inspection, the fleet’s Inspection Selection System (ISS) score is the most common. The ISS score assigned by FMCSA primarily reflects the fleet’s performance as measured by FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety Accountability (CSA) Safety Measurement System (SMS). However, there is not a 1 to 1 relationship between the two. The ISS only considers SMS measurement categories that most logically can be addressed during roadside inspections – like hours-of-service compliance and vehicle maintenance.
Each motor carrier is assigned an ISS score ranging from 1-100, which guides inspectors in selecting vehicles. The system is necessary because there are 14 million trucks on the road, but FMCSA and state enforcement agencies only have sufficient personnel to conduct approximately 3.5 million inspections annually. Higher scores are generally assigned to those with the poorest performance, though fleets lacking enough data to be scored are also prioritized for inspection. Fleets that use a weigh station bypass program often get an in-cab notification about a mile before the inspection station, telling them they may bypass the site entirely. Those that don’t must pull in, wait in line, and keep their fingers crossed that they won’t be selected for inspection.
FMCSA encourages states to inspect any fleet with an ISS score greater than 75 and allow any fleet with a score below 50 to pass through. Those with scores in between are considered “optional.” However, here’s the catch: Not every fleet with a score over 75 will get inspected each time they approach a weigh station. The state enforcement agencies simply don’t have the resources to do so. Instead, each state has its suggested “pull in” rate based on its capacity to inspect vehicles. For instance, one state might pull in every truck operated by a fleet with a score of 95 or higher, while another state might pull in only one in four. It all depends on the state and its enforcement capacity.
Remember that trucks are pulled in for reasons beyond their ISS scores. Vehicles that exceed allowable weight limits, with expired registrations, or failing to comply with state tax requirements will also get pulled in. In addition, inspectors retain the option to pick vehicles based on their discretion. For instance, if an inspector spots obvious load securement violations on a flatbed, missing lug nuts on a wheel, or an underinflated tire, the truck is more likely to get pulled in. In many states, they may also select a vehicle at random.
Complete truck inspections usually take about an hour, but there are things drivers can do to help the process go more smoothly and efficiently. Having their documentation in order and easily accessible is one of them. They should also be familiar with the steps needed to transfer data from their ELD to the enforcement officer. And, of course, it always helps to be polite and cooperative. Drivers need to understand they play an important role in facilitating the inspection process.
Want to learn more? The full ISS methodology is available here for those brave enough to dive into it. However, Fleetworthy has created an easy-to-read explanation of the system, which is available here (Understanding Inspection Selection System PDF). Fleets can access their ISS scores by registering with FMCSA to obtain an account and access their records.
