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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.

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  1. What does it mean when a motor carrier does not have a percentile assigned within a Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC)? Answer

    Not having a percentile associated with a BASIC under the On-road Performance column may be a result of one of several situations. No Violations/No Crashes — The motor carrier has no violations or crashes within that BASIC. The following table outlines the different values displayed within the On-road Performance column for each BASIC:

    On-road Performance Column Information:
    BASIC Values Displayed
    Unsafe Driving
    • No power unit data — No registered power unit data recorded in census information
    • 0% — No inspections with a violation in this BASIC cited
    • < 3 inspections with violations — Less than 3 inspections with a violation in the BASIC
    • No violations within 1 year — No Violations cited in the past 12 months
    • Display Percentile
    Controlled Substances and Alcohol
    • 0% — No inspections with a violation in this BASIC cited
    • No violations within 1 year — No Violations cited in the past 12 months
    • Display Percentile
    Crash Indicator
    • No power unit data — No registered power unit data recorded in census information
    • 0% — No inspections with a violation in this BASIC cited
    • < 2 crashes — One crash
    • No crashes within 1 year — No crashes cited in the past 12 months
    • Display Percentile
    Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance
    • < 3 driver inspections — Not enough driver inspections to be assessed (0 to 2 inspections)
    • 0% — Enough driver inspections (3+ inspections) but no violations in this BASIC cited
    • < 3 inspections with violations — Enough inspections (+3 driver inspections) but not enough inspections with BASIC-related violations (1 to 2 inspections with violations)
    • No violations within 1 year — Enough inspections, but no violation cited within the past 12 months and the latest driver inspection did not include violation in the BASIC
    • Display Percentile
    Driver Fitness
    • < 5 driver inspections — Not enough driver inspections to be assessed (0 to 4 inspections)
    • 0% — Enough driver inspections (5+ inspections) but no violations in this BASIC cited
    • < 5 inspections with violations — Enough inspections (+5 driver inspections) but not enough inspections with BASIC-related violations (1 to 4 inspections with violations)
    • No violations within 1 year — Enough inspections, but no violation cited within the past 12 months and the latest driver inspection did not include violation in the BASIC
    • Display Percentile
    Vehicle Maintenance
    • < 5 vehicle inspections — Not enough vehicle inspections to be assessed (0 to 4 inspections)
    • 0% — Enough vehicle inspections (5+ inspections) but no violations cited in the BASIC
    • < 5 inspections with violations — Enough inspections (+5 vehicle inspections) but not enough inspections with BASIC-related violations (1 to 4 inspections with violations)
    • No violations within 1 year — Enough inspections, but no violation cited within the past 12 months and the latest vehicle inspection did not include violation in the BASIC
    • Display Percentile
    Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance
    • < 5 HM placardable vehicle inspections — Not enough HM placardable vehicle inspections to be assessed (1 to 4 inspections)
    • No HM placardable vehicle inspections — Carrier does not have any relevant HM placardable vehicle inspections.
    • 0% — Enough HM placardable vehicle inspections (5+ inspections) but no HM placardable vehicle violations cited in the BASIC
    • < 5 HM placardable vehicle inspections with violations — Enough HM placardable vehicle inspections (+5 vehicle inspections) but not enough inspections with BASIC-related violations (1 to 4 inspections with violations)
    • No violations within 1 year — Enough HM placardable inspections, but no violation cited within the past 12 months and the latest vehicle inspection did not include violation in the BASIC
    • Display Percentile
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