Safety Evaluation
Safety evaluation is the process of determining how to address carriers with poor
safety performance. The Safety Measurement System (SMS) allows the Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to more effectively evaluate safety performance
using new measures for
- Identifying which carriers require what type of intervention using a policy-driven
process called intervention selection, and
- Determining which carriers should be deemed "Unfit" to operate, using a regulatory
process called Safety Fitness Determination (SFD).
(An Unfit Suspension prohibits a carrier from operating, based on the conclusion
of an SFD. The details of Unfit Suspension are described in the SFD Rulemaking.)
FMCSA developed an SFD methodology that replaced the former system, which was solely
dependent on the onsite compliance review results. The SFD expands the use of on-road
performance as calculated in the SMS and includes results of all investigations.
It also allows FMCSA to determine safety fitness on a larger segment of the industry.