Safety Rating Upgrade

Did you receive a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating?

When a trucking company goes through a compliance review and receives violations, they can end up with a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating. This can be very expensive for a motor carrier. It is important to start the process of being upgraded back to a Satisfactory Rating.

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What is the Safety Rating Regulation?

§385 appendix B (c) – II. (a)(b)(c)

To meet the safety fitness standard, a motor carrier must demonstrate to the FMCSA that it has adequate safety management controls in place which function effectively to ensure acceptable compliance with the applicable safety requirements.

A “safety fitness methodology” was developed by the FMCSA, which uses data from compliance reviews and roadside inspections to rate motor carriers.

The FMCSA gathers information through an in-depth examination of the motor carrier’s compliance with identified “acute” or “critical” regulations of the FMCSRs and HMRs.

Acute Regulations are those identified as such where noncompliance is so severe as to require immediate corrective actions by a motor carrier regardless of the overall safety posture of the motor carrier. 

Critical regulations are those identified as such where non-compliance relates to management and/or operational controls.

Noncompliance with acute regulations and patterns of noncompliance with critical regulations are quantitatively linked to inadequate safety management and/or operational controls.

Motor Carrier Rights to a change in the safety rating under (s)(s) 385.15 and 385.17, motor carriers have the right to petition for a review of their ratings if there are factual or procedural disputes, and to request another review after corrective actions have been taken.

Questions about the regulation?

Who does it apply to?

All carriers are subject to the safety rating process developed by the FMCSA. This process is used to evaluate safety fitness and assign one of three safety ratings to interstate motor carriers:

  • Satisfactory Rating
  • Unsatisfactory Rating
  • Conditional Rating

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How do we perform this service?
Did your Safety Rating get downgraded?

Our Safety Rating Upgrade Specialists will be able to get you back on the right track with the FMCSA and keep you there. If you find your self in this position, you may also be a candidate for our DOT Compliance Programs.

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What steps are we taking for you?

You will have your own Safety Rating Upgrade Specialist to walk you through the process and discuss the violations that caused the safety rating downgrade.

Your Safety Rating Upgrade specialist will lay out the steps sequentially to follow and work through a corrective action plan, all addressing the acute and critical violations.

You Safety Rating Upgrade Specialist will collect  all supporting documents showing that the acute and critical violations have been remedied. They will also show that there are new management systems in place to ensure compliance moving forward.

DOT Compliance and Licensing Services

If you are ready to get started or would just like more information on how you can start being more proactive with your compliance, please fill out the form below. We are here to help and answer any questions.

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