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Henry Seaton
Aug 8, 2017

FMCSA adds 12 violations to SMS

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has introduced 12 new violations to the Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology, effective with the July 28, 2017, data upload. Carriers' SMS results going forward will include those violations going back 24 months. Most of the violations relate to tires and drug and alcohol violations. FMCSA said the updated SMS Version 3.0.8 "aligns with recent changes to FMCSA’s roadside inspection collection software and builds on efforts to improve the consistency of data in the Agency’s systems."

The new SMS violations are as follows:

  • Operating a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle while all other occupants are not properly restrained (392.16B);

  • Tire-front tread depth less than 2/32 of inch on a major tread groove (393.75B-OOS);

  • Tire-other tread depth less than 1/32 of inch measured in 2 adjacent major tread grooves (393.75C-OOS);

  • Operating a CMV at speeds exceeding the speed-restriction label of the tire (393.75F-SPEED);

  • Weight carried exceeds tire load limit (393.75G-LOAD);

  • Operating a CMV while weight carried exceeds tire rating due to under-inflation (393.75I1);

  • Driver on duty and in possession of a narcotic drug / amphetamine (392.4A-POS);

  • Driver on duty and under the influence of, or using a narcotic drug / amphetamine, which renders the driver incapable of safe operation (392.4A-UI);

  • Driver having any measured alcohol concentration, or any detected presence of alcohol while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a CMV (392.5A2-DETECT);

  • Driver having possession of alcohol while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a CMV (392.5A2-POS);

  • Operating a CMV while under the influence of an intoxicating beverage regardless of its alcohol content (392.5A2-UI);

  • Represent a package as meeting a specification that does not meet a specification (180.3)

To see the associated Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) and severity weight for each violation, click here to download a spreadsheet listing the 12 new violations.

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