FMCSA REVISES THRESHOLD CRASH AND DRIVER, VEHICLE, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OUT-OF-SERVICE RATES
Today, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) revised the threshold crash rate and driver, vehicle, and hazardous materials (HM) out-of-service (OOS) rates for issuance of hazardous materials safety permits (HMSP).
Instead of recalculating the rates every two years, FMCSA used eight years of data to determine the national average. In addition, the revised rates will remain static over a longer period of time. However, the revision will not affect a motor carrier’s responsibility to renew the HMSP every two years. According to FMCSA, the static rate will improve safety by providing a clearly identifiable standard for industry compliance and minimize the burden on motor carriers and the HM industry by allowing more appropriate measures that ensure eligibility for HMSPs.
To determine OOS rates, a carrier should divide the number of OOS inspections by the total number of inspections for each category. The resulting figure is the motor carrier’s OOS rate for that category. For driver and vehicle OOS calculations, carriers should use all inspections, both HM and non-HM. For HM OOS calculations, carriers should use only HM inspections. FMCSA will only calculate OOS rates for carriers with more than one OOS violation in the previous 12-month period.
To determine crash rates, motor carriers should divide the number of crashes for the previous 12-month period by the total number of power units that it operated during that period. Likewise, FMCSA will only calculate crash rates for carriers with more than one crash in the previous 12-month period.
The revised rates are effective June 27, 2012 and will remain in effect until further notice. If you have any questions regarding the rates or HMSP application process, please contact our office.