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.
Private data now includes the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials BASICs results. These are two of seven indicators of the Behavioral Analysis and Safety Information Categories program that ranks motor carriers against one another based on several types of safety criteria.
SMS details on motor carriers still available for public viewing.
Even with the implementation of the FAST Act, members of the public can opt to view the following about a specific motor carrier:
- Crash data
- Investigation results
- Other BASICs including Controlled Substances and Alcohol, Driver Fitness, Hours of Service, Unsafe Driving Behavior, and Vehicle Maintenance.
The measurements used by the SMS come directly from sources such as state law enforcement officials and FMCSA roadside inspections. This raw data displays as is without comparison between motor carriers.
Purpose of the FAST Act of 2015
President Barack Obama signed the FAST Act, which stands for Fixing America’s Surface Transportation, into law on December 4, 2015. The FAST Act provided funding for surface transportation such as transit lines and new highways, the first funding of its kind in over a decade. The FAST Act established new programs to make essential freight projects more efficient, developed new safety tools, and made the process for gaining official approval for new transportation projects more efficient.
Who can view non-public BASICs data?
One thing that did not change with the passage of the FAST Act is that all data related to passenger carriers is still publicly available. Anyone wishing to view information regarding the Hazardous Materials or Crash Indicator non-public BASICs or data about passenger carriers must login here to review the information.
Two sign-in options exist to review the above SMS information. The first is for motor carriers wishing to establish login credentials using the number assigned to them by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) along with a personal identification number (PIN). However, the FMCSA plans to disable this option in the next several months and require everyone to login through its portal. This requires entering a user ID and password after registering for a portal account. Upon entering the online system, follow prompts on the screen to view the appropriate data.
Don’t forget the importance of good insurance coverage.
Behavior and skills are an important aspect of professional driving as is maintaining the appropriate amount of financial responsibility. We invite you to learn more about the various policies you may need and determine if you could save money and/or receive richer benefits with the assistance of our team.
Insurance is about more than protecting your truck and cargo. It can keep you from financial devastation in the event someone sues you in an accident. You have worked too hard for that to happen, so don’t hesitate to secure the best insurance coverage possible today. You can get started with your truck insurance quotes by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat.
Source: