Frequently Asked Questions
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are questions and answers about Compliance,
Safety, Accountability (CSA) that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(FMCSA) compiled to assist the public. As questions come in through the website,
FMCSA adds them to the database along with their answers. If you do not see your
question or topic addressed, please
contact us
by submitting a feedback form. We will respond to you directly and consider your
question for inclusion in the FAQs.
The FAQ area has recently been enhanced. Users can now search FAQs by stakeholder
group, topics (displayed on the left side of the page), or by entering a keyword
below. Choosing “Show All” will display the entire collection of FAQs.
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What is a “clean inspection?”
Answer
A “clean inspection” is when a relevant roadside inspection did not result in any
violations for a particular Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC).
Safety inspections with no violations can improve a carrier's Safety Measurement
System (SMS) results. For example, when a carrier has no BASIC violations related
to the Hours-of-Service Compliance, Driver Fitness, and/or Controlled Substances/Alcohol
BASICs from a Drive r Inspection (Level I, II, III or VI), this clean inspection
will lower the associated BASIC measure. Similarly, when a carrier does not have
any BASIC violations related to the Vehicle Maintenance and/or Hazardous Materials
Compliance BASICs from a Vehicle Inspection (Level I, II, V or VI), this clean inspection
will lower the associated BASIC measure. Roughly one-third of the
3.5 million inspections that are uploaded each year have zero violations.
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