Category: FMCSA

Fleet Size The total number of power units (truck-tractors and straight trucks) owned or operated by a given motor carrier.

Fixed Facility A state commercial vehicle “scale” facility or other permanent site used to conduct inspections.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) Regulations governing the safe operation of commercial vehicles engaged in interstate commerce. The FMCSR are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Subtitle B, Chapter III. States participating in MCSAP have adopted their own state-level versions of the FMCSR.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) The administration within the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT) responsible for monitoring and developing safety standards for commercial motor vehicles operating in interstate commerce.

Facility Type The type of facility – fixed or roadside – where the inspection was conducted.

Duration The amount of time required to complete a given inspection. It is calculated using the “start” and “finish” times recorded by the inspector on the inspection document.

Driver Violation A violation discovered during the inspection which pertains to the driver of the commercial vehicle.

Driver-Only Inspection Examines only the driver-related aspects of the standard Full Inspection, including compliance with commercial drivers’ licensing requirements, medical certifications and waivers, and the hours-of-service regulations. This inspection type is a Level III inspection.

Double A commercial motor vehicle consisting of a truck-tractor and two detachable trailers.

Defect Group The “group” to which a given violation is attributed. In this report, all violations identifiable during the driver-vehicle inspections are assigned to one of three mutually-exclusive groups: vehicle, driver, or hazardous materials.