The CVSA Dialogues O ne of the most interesting dialogues in trucking has been going on quietly for the past year under an umbrella set up by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. CVSA is the organization of state, provincial and federal truck safety enforcement officers that developed uniform standards for roadside vehicle inspections. The relationship between truckers and these officers is one of the industry's hot spots. When a driver is thrown off schedule because he is pulled over for an inspection, he gets frustrated. When an inspector confronts yet another frustrated and maybe rude driver, he in turn gets frustrated.
Resentment builds on both sides.
Pretty soon, one of the most important safety tools we have starts to lose its effectiveness. That's why CVSA started a dialogue a year ago in April between safety inspectors and truck drivers. First it invited a panel of drivers to talk about their concerns. Then in September it heard from the inspectors. And last week the organization brought both sides together for the resolution.