Category: FMCSA

Single A commercial motor vehicle consisting of a truck-tractor and a detachable trailer.

Safetynet A state-based information system used to store and process commercial carrier safety information, including driver-vehicle inspection data. The use of SAFETYNET ensures that data electronically transferred to MCMIS are in a standard format and have successfully passed through a variety of edit checks.

Out-of-Service (OOS) Violations A violation of the FMCSR or HMR requiring that a commercial vehicle or driver be taken out of service or moved off the road until the circumstances which caused the violation have been resolved or corrected.

Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) A Federal program providing funds to U.S. states and territories for activities in support of commercial motor vehicle safety. To receive MCSAP funds, states must adopt interstate and intrastate regulations which are compatible with the FMCSR and the HMR. The FMCSA is the Federal agency responsible for administering MCSAP.

Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) The computerized system, operated by the FMCSA, containing comprehensive safety data on interstate and intrastate commercial carriers. Two parts of MCMIS are the Motor Carrier Inspection Database and the Motor Carrier Census Database.

Motor Carrier Census Database A database on the USDOT mainframe computer containing information identifying interstate and intrastate commercial carriers. A unique USDOT Number is assigned to each carrier in the database and is used to link records in the Inspection Database to the appropriate carriers in the Census Database.

Mobile Inspection Facility A non-permanent inspection facility. Mobile facilities can be moved from one location to another, as conditions warrant. Sometimes called a “roadside” facility.

Location The U.S. State or Territory, Canadian Province, or Mexican State in which a specific inspection was conducted.

Intrastate Carrier A carrier who operates solely in intrastate commerce and, for the purposes of this report, never transports hazardous materials.

Motor Carrier Inspection Database A database on the USDOT mainframe computer containing records of inspections of interstate and intrastate carriers. State inspection records are uploaded to the mainframe using SAFETYNET.