FMCSA Data, Explained
Clear guides to the federal data behind a carrier's safety scores and a driver's record — what the numbers measure, where they come from, and how to correct one that's wrong.
- Carrier Safety Scores (SMS) — How FMCSA measures a carrier, including the BASICs, intervention thresholds, and what actually moves a score.
- Driver Safety History (PSP) — What a driver's federal crash and inspection history shows, how to read it fairly, and how to correct an error.
- Company Snapshot (SAFER) — How to read FMCSA's free public carrier profile — identity, operating authority, size, and a 24-month inspection and crash summary.
- Operating Authority & Insurance — How to tell whether a carrier is legally cleared to haul and actually insured — the three checks, the federal minimums, and the lapse that costs the most.
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse — What a driver's drug & alcohol record shows, who can see it, and how a violation pulls them off the road.
- Safety Ratings — What Satisfactory / Conditional / Unsatisfactory mean, why most carriers are unrated, and the rewrite FMCSA keeps proposing.