FMCSA makes CSA Safety Data Available to the Public

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) released the Carrier Safety Management System (“SMS”) over the weekend meaning that CSA safety information is now available to the general public.  The following disclaimer pops up when you search for carrier safety information on the website (http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS):

USE OF SMS DATA/INFORMATION

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Safety Management System (SMS) is an automated data system used by FMCSA to monitor motor carrier on-road safety performance. FMCSA analyzes safety performance by grouping carrier data in the SMS into seven Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) which are, in turn, used to identify potential safety problems with individual carriers and determine when an enforcement intervention might be appropriate.

The data and BASICs are used by the enforcement community to prioritize investigations and roadside inspections. The SMS data system is not a Safety Fitness Determination (SFD), is not a Safety Rating pursuant to 49 C.F.R. Part 385, and does not represent FMCSA’s final determination regarding the accuracy of the data contained in the SMS.

Use of the SMS data system 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 data system and when necessary verify the accuracy of their SMS data through DataQs, an electronic data correcting system in which carriers can request a data review. The DataQ system is available online at http://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/.

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