As a moving and storage company, it is important to stay on top of any changes or updates in the field, whether the change has to do with your movers insurance policy or even safety requirements by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. As of January 17, 2012, the FMSCA release an updated version of the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC factsheet. This factsheet is designed to better educate motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers and other related industries.

First, what is the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC?

“The Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC is one of the seven categories that the FMSCA CSA program uses in order to determine how a motor carrier ranks relative to other carrier with a similar number of safety events.” More specifically, these rules are concerned with drowsy driving. “This BASIC includes violations of the regulations pertaining to records of duty status (RODS) as they relate to HOS requirements and the management of CMV driver fatigue.” For example, your company may find itself in trouble if it is found to have drivers operating more hours than allowed under HOS regulations. This is why it is important to stay on top of these regulations!

If you want to see where your company stands, you can check the website. CSA’s Safety Measurement System assigns motor carriers a percentile rank for each BASIC based on violations cited during roadside inspections and reviews. By logging into the SMS site, you may notice a warning symbol, meaning that you may have safety compliance problems. If you think that your company may be in trouble, act fast. If your percentile rank indicates lower safety compliance, it may lead to warning letters or even investigations.

Now that you have a general overview of this factsheet, you must understand how your company and other motor carriers and drivers should improve safety performance in the Fatigued Driving (HOS) BASIC. Be sure to visit our blog next week for more information on this crucial topic.

At Wolpert Insurance, we care about the safety of your company and your employees. That is why we believe insurance for moving and storage companies is so essential. We have a wide variety of programs and coverage options dedicated to the moving and storage industry. Some of our specialties include: automobile liability, automobile physical damage, warehouse liability, motor truck cargo, workers compensation and much more. Do not hesitate to visit our website or contact us for more information!