The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) updated the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) severity tables for the Unsafe Driving and Vehicle Maintenance BASICs on February 8, 2012, to include 27 new entries, as listed below.

The agency added the following texting and cell-phone-use violations to the Unsafe Driving BASIC:

• 177.804(b: Failure to comply with 49 CFR 392.80 – Texting while Oper a CMV -Placardable HM, severity weight 10
• 177.804(c): Fail to comply with 392.82 – Using Mobile Phone while Oper a CMV – HM, severity weight 10
• 392.80(a): Driving a commercial motor vehicle while Texting, severity weight 10
• 392.82(a)(1): Using a hand-held mobile telephone while operating a CMV, severity weight 10
• 392.82(a)(2): Allowing or requiring driver to use a hand-held mobile tel while operating a CMV, severity weight 10

The agency broke out six (6) existing Vehicle Maintenance BASIC violations into twenty-two (22) violations, in order to provide more descriptive and detailed information about compliance with existing brake, wheel, and coupling regulations. The FMCSA says the change will ensure that the CSA Safety Measurement System remains aligned with improvements recently made to roadside data collection systems.

• 393.42A-BM: Brake – Missing required brake, severity weight 4
• 393.42A-BMAW: Brake – All wheels not equipped with brakes as required, severity weight 4
• 393.42A-BM-TSA: Brake – Missing on a trailer steering axle, severity weight 4
• 393.45B2PC: Brake Hose or Tubing Chafing and/or Kinking – Connection to Power Unit, severity weight 4
• 393.45B2UV: Brake Hose or Tubing Chafing and/or Kinking Under Vehicle, severity weight 4
• 393.45DCPC: Brake Connections with Constrictions – Connection to Power Unit, severity weight 4
• 393.45DCUV: Brake Connections with Constrictions Under Vehicle, severity weight 4
• 393.45DLPC: Brake Connections with Leaks – Connection to Power Unit, severity weight 4
• 393.45DLUV: Brake Connections with Leaks Under Vehicle, severity weight 4
• 393.45PC: Brake Tubing and Hose Adequacy – Connections to Power Unit, severity weight 4
• 393.45UV: Brake Tubing and Hose Adequacy Under Vehicle, severity weight 4
• 393.48A-BCM: Brakes – Hydraulic Brake Caliper movement exceeds 1/8? (0.125?) (3.175 mm), severity weight 4
• 393.48A-BMBC: Brakes – Missing or Broken Components, severity weight 4
• 393.48A-BRMMC: Brakes – Rotor (disc) metal-to-metal contact, severity weight 4
• 393.48A-BSRFS: Brakes – Severe rusting of brake rotor (disc), severity weight 4
• 393.70B1II: Defective/Improper fifth wheel assembly upper half, severity weight 3
• 396.5A-HNLIW: Hubs – No visible or measurable lubricant showing in the hub – inner wheel, severity weight 2
• 396.5A-HNLOW: Hubs – No visible or measurable lubricant showing in the hub – outer wheel, severity weight 2
• 396.5B-HLIW: Hubs – Oil and/or Grease Leaking from hub – inner wheel, severity weight 2
• 396.5B-HLOW: Hubs – oil and/or Grease Leaking from hub – outer wheel, severity weight 2
• 396.5B-HWSLIW: Hubs – Wheel seal leaking – inner wheel, severity weight 2
• 396.5B-HWSLOW: Hubs – Wheel seal leaking – outer wheel, severity weight 2