NEENAH, Wis. -- J.J. Keller, the motor carrier-information storehouse, has launched a free online advisory service to help bus and truck operators understand and deal with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Carrier Safety Analysis 2010 initiative.

CSA 2010 is the new safety-rating system that will revamp the way operators are tracked, evaluated and selected for enforcement interventions. It will be based largely on how drivers and vehicles perform at roadside safety checks and accident records.

The system has strictly prescribed parameters by which the FMCSA will determine how often carriers will be subjected to inspections, letters of warning, facility audits or fines.

It will affect all U.S. operators and those carriers that venture into the United States from Canada and Mexico. Its expected to go into effect after the middle of next year.

The USDOT has amassed a large amount of data, so it certainly appears to be in operators best interest to learn as much about CSA 2010 as they can. Kellers service is described as free, easy to use and you dont have to register for anything to get access to it. Go to www.fleetmentor.com/CSA2010/Overview1.aspx.

At 1 p.m. (central time) Dec. 17, Keller is hosting a free online webinar to familiarize attendees with CSA 2010. It will address the data collection system, the system for evaluating a carriers performance, the Safety Fitness Determination process, new interventions that FMCSA plans to implement, and what carriers should be doing to prepare. Participants also can ask questions.

To register for the webcast, go to www.fleetmentor.com/CSA2010/Overview1.aspx, click on the first item in the CSA 2010 Information box.