FMCSA Updates the SMS to “Better Align with Serious Violations”

3/11/2015 10 Considerations in Choosing a Freight Audit and Payment Provider


The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that they have updated the Safety Measurement System (SMS) and the Agency’s serious violations spreadsheet to “better align with all of the serious violations in the Agency’s regulations and IT systems.” These violations took effect in the SMS as of February 1, 2015. Motor carriers citied with any of these violations will see them reflected in the March SMS data release.

For a complete list of all Serious Violations and updated descriptions, see the Serious Violations spreadsheet. These violations occur when noncompliance is so severe that a motor carrier must take immediate action to comply, regardless of the carrier’s overall safety posture, or when violations are indicative of breakdowns in a carrier’s safety management controls.

The list below includes descriptions of the new Serious Violations in SMS and the BASICs to which they relate.

  • 172.704(a)(4) - Failing to provide security awareness training, Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance
  • 172.704(a)(5) - Failing to provide in-depth security awareness training, HM Compliance
  • 383.37(c) - Knowingly allowing, requiring, permitting, or authorizing an employee with more than one commercial driver's license to operate a commercial motor vehicle, Driver Fitness
  • 395.3(a)(3)(i) - Requiring or permitting a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver to drive more than 11 hours, Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance
  • 395.3(a)(3)(ii) - Requiring or permitting a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver to drive if more than 8 hours have passed since the end of the driver's last off-duty or sleeperberth period of at least 30 minutes, HOS Compliance