FMCSA Overhauls Safety Measurement System
Major changes to carrier safety ratings aim to improve accuracy and public accountability
Major Regulatory Update
FMCSA is implementing the most significant changes to carrier safety ratings in over a decade, combining compliance categories and splitting vehicle maintenance into two distinct areas to better identify unsafe carriers.
Understanding the Safety Measurement System (SMS)
The Safety Measurement System is the federal methodology used to identify motor carriers with safety problems for prioritized interventions and enforcement. SMS uses roadside inspection data, crash reports, and investigation results to calculate safety scores across multiple categories called BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories).
These scores directly impact a carrier's safety rating, insurance costs, customer contracts, and enforcement priority. High scores can lead to warning letters, interventions, and ultimately prohibition from operating if safety performance does not improve.
Key Changes to the SMS
The FMCSA's SMS overhaul includes several major structural changes designed to improve the accuracy and fairness of carrier safety evaluations:
1. Compliance Category Consolidation
The current Controlled Substances and Alcohol BASIC will be combined with the Unsafe Driving BASIC. This consolidation recognizes that substance abuse violations and dangerous driving behaviors are related safety risks that should be evaluated together.
2. Vehicle Maintenance Split
The Vehicle Maintenance BASIC will be divided into two separate categories:
- Critical Vehicle Maintenance: Violations that pose immediate safety risks, such as brake failures, tire defects, and lighting system problems
- General Vehicle Maintenance: Less critical maintenance issues that still require attention but do not pose imminent hazards
This split allows for more precise identification of carriers with serious equipment safety problems versus those with minor, correctable maintenance issues.
3. Enhanced Transparency
The updated SMS will provide clearer information to the public about carrier safety performance, including more detailed explanations of violations and their safety impact. This increased transparency helps shippers, passengers, and the general public make informed decisions about which carriers to trust.
4. Improved Crash Weighting
The new system will refine how crashes are weighted in safety calculations, with greater emphasis on preventable crashes that demonstrate carrier safety failures. The expanded Crash Preventability Determination Program will allow carriers to contest more types of accidents.
Crash Preventability Determination Program Expansion
The CPDP allows carriers to request review of crashes to determine if they were preventable. Four new crash categories will be added to the program:
- Crashes involving uninsured/underinsured motorists who flee the scene
- Weather-related crashes where the carrier took appropriate precautions
- Infrastructure failure crashes (bridge collapses, road defects)
- Medical emergency crashes involving other drivers
However, this expansion has raised concerns among safety advocates who worry that carriers will attempt to shift blame for crashes they could have prevented.
Impact on Truck Accident Victims
For truck accident victims and their families, the SMS overhaul has important implications for how carrier negligence is established and how safety information is accessed:
Access to Safety Data
The enhanced transparency provisions mean that accident victims and their attorneys will have better access to detailed carrier safety records. This information is critical for establishing a pattern of negligent behavior or regulatory non-compliance.
Publicly available SMS data can reveal:
- History of Hours of Service violations indicating fatigued driving patterns
- Vehicle maintenance failures showing equipment neglect
- Driver fitness violations including medical certification failures
- Previous crashes and near-misses involving the carrier
Evidence of Negligence
High SMS scores and BASIC violations provide powerful evidence in personal injury litigation. Carriers with poor safety ratings demonstrated ongoing knowledge of safety problems yet continued operating, potentially supporting claims for punitive damages.
Concerns About the Overhaul
While the FMCSA presents the SMS overhaul as an improvement, safety advocates have raised concerns about certain provisions:
- Crash Preventability Expansion: Allowing carriers to contest more crash types may result in dangerous carriers avoiding accountability for preventable accidents
- Category Consolidation: Combining substance abuse with unsafe driving could mask specific problems in each area
- Implementation Timeline: The complexity of the changes may delay full implementation, leaving current flaws in place longer
Context: Declining Federal Enforcement
The SMS overhaul comes amid broader concerns about federal trucking safety enforcement. As reported in our analysis of declining FMCSA enforcement actions, federal efforts to remove unsafe carriers from the road have dropped 60% since January 2025, even as fatal truck crashes remain near record highs.
Critics argue that improving the SMS methodology means little if enforcement actions based on that data continue to decline. Enhanced transparency and better scoring accuracy only improve safety if they lead to actual interventions against dangerous carriers.
State-Level Implications
While SMS is a federal system, state enforcement agencies use SMS data to prioritize inspections and enforcement. States with high truck traffic and crash rates, including Texas, California, and Florida, are expected to adjust their enforcement practices based on the new SMS categories.
How Attorneys Use SMS Data in Truck Accident Cases
Experienced truck accident attorneys routinely access FMCSA SMS data and carrier safety profiles to build strong negligence cases. This data can establish:
- Pattern Evidence: Repeated violations in the same category show systemic safety failures
- Notice: High SMS scores prove the carrier knew of safety problems before the crash
- Regulatory Non-Compliance: Violations demonstrate failure to meet minimum federal safety standards
- Industry Comparison: SMS percentile rankings show how a carrier compares to similar operations
Need Help Investigating a Carrier's Safety Record?
If you were injured in a truck accident, understanding the carrier's SMS scores and violation history is essential to building a strong compensation claim. Evidence of repeated safety violations can significantly increase settlement values.
Our network of experienced truck accident attorneys knows how to access and interpret federal safety data to maximize your recovery.
Implementation Timeline
The FMCSA has announced a phased implementation approach for the SMS overhaul:
- Public comment period on proposed changes (Q2 2025)
- Final rule publication (Q4 2025)
- System reconfiguration and testing (2026)
- Full implementation and transition to new scoring methodology (2027)
During the transition, both old and new scoring systems may be available for comparison, allowing carriers and the public to understand how safety ratings change under the new methodology.
Sources and Additional Information
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration SMS Overhaul Announcement (March 2025)
- 49 CFR Part 385 - Safety Fitness Procedures
- FMCSA Safety Measurement System Methodology Documentation
- FMCSA Crash Preventability Determination Program Guidelines
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