The importance of safety in trucking can’t be overstated. Your life, your cargo, and the safety of everyone on the road depend on how carefully you drive from Point A to B.
That’s why the FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) exists to track and measure how well drivers and carriers follow key safety tips for semi-truck drivers and industry regulations.
What Does SMS Stand For?
SMS stands for Safety Measurement System.
It’s an on-road safety and performance tracking tool used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to monitor carriers and identify those who may pose higher safety risks.
What Does the SMS Measure?
The SMS collects inspection and crash data from roadside inspections, traffic violations, and crash reports. Each violation adds to your trucking safety score, which helps determine your company’s overall compliance and risk level.
For example:
- A parking violation might have a low severity score.
- A false logbook or unsafe driving violation carries a much higher score.
Your safety score is updated regularly and can directly impact your insurance rates, your ability to book freight, and even your eligibility to operate.
Why Your SMS Score Matters
Your SMS safety record is visible to brokers, insurance companies, and enforcement agencies. A clean record makes you more appealing to shippers and can qualify you for better rates.
Too many violations, on the other hand, can lead to fines, audits, or suspension of your operating authority.
Maintaining a strong safety record means following proven best practices like:
- Keeping your equipment in top condition.
- Following truck driver safety best practices on every trip.
- Staying current with FMCSA MCS-150 compliance and other filings.
These small habits help protect your business and improve your FMCSA safety compliance rating.
How to Check Your SMS Score
You can view your company’s SMS data for free using the FMCSA SMS Portal. The system lets you search by USDOT number and review violations, crash history, and BASIC categories (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories).
Drive Safe, Stay Compliant
Your Safety Measurement System score isn’t just a number it’s a reflection of your professionalism and dedication to safety.
Following safe driving tips for truckers and keeping up with FMCSA compliance requirements will help ensure your business remains in good standing and competitive in today’s industry.
Come back next week when we’ll dive deeper into the BASIC categories and show you how to monitor and improve your scores step by step.
