The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) provides data to authorized people regarding the outcome of recent safety investigations. Drivers, employers, and other authorized parties should navigate to the Recent Investigations tab on the FMCSA portal to see results from the last five inspections.
Month: February 2020
Why was my operating authority application dismissed and how do I fix it?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires trucking companies that meet certain criteria to apply for operating authority. This is in addition to the number all drivers and motor carriers must obtain from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT).
What if I have a medical condition that developed since my last certificate?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all drivers who drive a vehicle interstate weighing more than 10,000 pounds to obtain a valid Medical Certificate.
What do carriers have to do to get a Hazardous Materials Safety Permit?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires commercial drivers who transport certain types of materials to apply for and maintain a hazardous materials safety permit (HMSP). Drivers and motor carriers can refer to 49 CFR 385.403 to find further information about hazardous materials and to ensure they understand FMCSA expectations in this manner.
How does Clearinghouse keep track of driver violations?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) created a Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for the purpose of keeping habitually unsafe commercial drivers off the road. It began requiring employers to use the Clearinghouse in January 2020 to keep track of driver violations. In addition to employers and the FMCSA, information in the Clearinghouse is available to law enforcement personnel and driver’s license agencies at the state level with the proper registration and clearance.
How does Clearinghouse protect driver information?
After working on its development for several years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released its Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in January 2020. Commonly referred to as just the Clearinghouse, the purpose of the new database is to provide a central location for driver drug and alcohol violations to make it easier for employers, potential employers, law enforcement, and the FMCSA itself to track.
What are the different Clearinghouse query plans?
When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released its Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in January 2020, it did so with the requirement that employers of those holding a commercial driver’s license (CDL) purchase a query plan. This allows employers and any third- party administrator or consortium they assign to request information on drug and alcohol violations of current and prospective employees. Upon registration, employers must log into the DOT Clearinghouse and purchase a query plan.
What Safety Measurement System (SMS) information can the public see?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) maintains a separate website and program known as the Safety Measurement System (SMS) that tracks certain safety details on all motor carriers. Prior to the FAST Act of 2015, all information on SMS was available for public viewing. Since that time, certain SMS information about the safety performance and compliance of motor carriers is no longer publicly available.
How can I see inspections with no violations in the trucking SMS?
It’s a common misconception that the Safety Measurement System (SMS) managed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) does not record inspections that contain no violations. This is not true. According to th FMCSA’s own data, approximately 3.5 million inspections take place each year. Although around one-third of these contain no violations, safety inspectors still upload them to the FMCSA database.