CVSA - Alliance is the Word for Success By Carmen Daecher

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has established a proud tradition of safety on the highways through its persistent application of standards related to commercial motor vehicle operations. The relationship between the industry, including its operators, vendors, and advocacy groups and commercial vehicle enforcement personnel, across the country has grown from finger pointing and silent trust to open partnership. The word "Alliance" is bigger than it has ever been and we hope will continue to be the cornerstone for a strong and vibrant CVSA in the future.

While we naturally focus on commercial vehicle safety, it is the Alliance that is the foundation for the progress and achievements that we have all accomplished. As an example, today a Level I inspection is instantly recognized and known throughout North America as a standard for commercial vehicle and driver inspection. The uniformity of inspection criteria used and the application of that criteria allow any commercial vehicle operators to know the standard by which they should be judged when their vehicles are inspected.

While there is much to look back upon with satisfaction, there is much more to be done. The future holds many challenges and opportunities that will demand a stronger and a closer alliance between the enforcement community and the commercial vehicle industry. Many of the factors that will shape our country's future are at work in shaping CVSA's future. The availability of manpower, tighter and tighter operating budgets, and the explosion of technology put all of us in a position where we must redefine how we operate. And, no matter whether in the public or the private sector, how we address these issues will define our future.

That is why the Alliance between the enforcement community and the commercial vehicle industry will be more important than it ever has been for continued success. Our partnership in solving issues must continue to be built upon a healthy sense of interdependence and trust. Because of the forces that affect all of us, we have come to a point where we can no longer look within each of our own organizations and find the capacity and ability to "do it all". The efficient sharing of resources will become the fundamental key to our collective success in maintaining strong and safe commercial vehicle operations throughout North America.

Just thinking of the immediate issues in front of CVSA easily demonstrates this point:

CVSA Reorganization - The need to redefine and redeploy this organization's resources to meet future demands and challenges. And a large part of that future need is strategies towards insuring sufficient funds for operations as well as achieving adequate manpower, whether paid or voluntary, to achieve organization goals.

Third Party Inspections and Compliance Reviews - A movement based upon belief that to get the job done adequately requires more and a difference mix of manpower than what the enforcement community can supply.

Technology - When we look at "ITS" or the next generation of vehicle components, the challenge to understand how they may improve efficiency and safety through their applications is clearly something that should be mutually understood among enforcement organizations and the commercial vehicle industry.

Training - How do we keep up with all of these changes? How do we maintain quality training for anyone who will be responsible for maintaining and improving a standard of safety throughout North America for commercial vehicles?

North American Inspectors Championship - A way to set the standard for inspector performance and to broaden everyone's understanding of the importance of the inspector's role in commercial vehicle safety. If this program is to continue, it must be a partnership between the enforcement communities and the commercial vehicle industry.

Simply put, the future of the Alliance requires that the out of date attitude of "Us versus Them" no longer has a place in CVSA. While the pressure of earning a profit versus the pressure of maintaining a budget can produce different ways of operating, our common goal must be to help each other shape a common understanding of commercial vehicle safety throughout North America. The sharing of talent and of dollars and the willingness to openly discuss our opinions and thoughts are vital to producing this common understanding. The atmosphere required to share openly, to set standards, and to achieve them is what CVSA must be all about. It is the framework within which all of us within the commercial vehicle safety arena can continue to achieve excellence. And the operators, vendors, and advocacy groups of the commercial vehicle industry look forward to being part of the Alliance to achieve our collective goals.

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