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 the motor carrier Safety Measurement System (SMS)?
Answer
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) SMS is an automated system
that quantifies the on-road safety performance of motor carriers so that FMCSA can
identify unsafe carriers, prioritize them for intervention, and monitor if a motor
carrier's safety and compliance problem is improving.
The SMS is not a Safety Fitness Determination nor is it a safety rating pursuant
to 49 CFR Part 385; also, it does not represent FMCSA's final determination about
the safety of the carrier. Use of the SMS for purposes other than those identified
above may produce unintended results and inaccurate conclusions.
FMCSA highly recommends that all motor carriers periodically review the SMS and,
when necessary, initiate a Request for Data Review through DataQs, an electronic
data correcting system. The DataQs system
is available online at http://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov
.
(
link)