WASHINGTON Motorcoach operators who want to be ahead of the curve when it comes to federal safety regulations should consider attending a "public listening session" this month in Arlington, Va.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has scheduled the session to get feedback on its Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative, a comprehensive restructuring of FMCSA's safety fitness and enforcement programs.

FMCSA officials will brief participants on the direction and progress of the safety initiative, which it refers to as CSA 2010, and obtain feedback from those attending.

For those who cant attend, the FMCSA is seeking comments on the CSA 2010 "operational model," which was published last month in the Federal Register and can be found on the FMCSA website. Go to www.fmcsa.dot.gov, click on Safety & Security and follow the links.

The listening session will be at the Key Bridge Marriott, 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, Va., from 8 a.m. to 2:45 on Oct. 16.

Written comments, which must be received by Jan. 31, must be sent to Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

Or, they may be submitted electronically by going to the federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

FMCSA embarked on the CSA 2010 initiative more than four years ago, with a goal of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of its compliance and enforcement program.

Fundamentally, FMCSA officials see the program as employing a new approach to using agency resources to identify drivers and motor carriers that pose safety risks based on their crash experience and violations of safety regulations, and to intervene to reduce those risks as soon as they become apparent.