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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Why is there no driver rating? Why aren't drivers more accountable?
Answer
While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration does not use the Safety Measurement
System (SMS) or any other system to assign formal safety ratings to individual drivers,
the agency recognizes that holding drivers accountable for safe driving behavior
is an important part of the safety compliance and enforcement process. Safety Investigators
(SIs) always systematically investigate drivers with egregious violations when investigating
a motor carrier. Additionally, SIs use the Driver SMS, an internal safety assessment
tool, to review drivers with strong patterns of noncompliance. Any violations that
are not corrected may result in a Notice of Violation or Notice of Claim for the
driver.
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