LaPorte CSA has been advising its clients for months now that ignoring high CSA BASIC scores will cost them business. If your company has CSA BASIC scores beyond the FMCSA’s threshold, it’s not the warning letter from the FMCSA that you should be most worried about – it is the letter, e-mail, or phone call from your shippers, brokers, and others that you rely upon for business. We are nothing if not personally vested in the profitability of our clients, and there is nothing worse than having to tell a client “told you so.”
We are starting to see CSA concepts integrated into more Carrier/Shipper and Carrier/Broker Agreements. For example, we came across an agreement recently that, in addition to requiring the carrier to have a Satisfactory safety rating, also prohibited the carrier from having two or more BASIC scores above the established FMCSA thresholds.
Shippers, brokers, and others are also becoming much more willing to enforce such provisions and cancel contracts with offending carriers. LaPorte CSA was retained a few months ago by an intermodal carrier who was issued a proposed Unsatisfactory rating. We worked very hard with the carrier to implement effective safety management practices and correct the deficiencies, and we were successful in having the rating upgraded to Conditional. Today we are proud to say the carrier has a safety program in place that rivals that of any of its competition. Unfortunately, one of its Intermodal Equipment Providers rescinded its equipment interchange agreement under a provision of an addendum to the Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement requiring that the carrier have and maintain a Satisfactory safety rating. The company had drivers that were at the rail yard that were unable to pick up equipment.
PLEASE – do not ignore safety and compliance issues that may be reflected in a high CSA BASIC score. Take action!! At LaPorte CSA we have many innovative and cost-effective measures to help reduce your CSA scores. Contact us and we can help.
