Everyone likes getting a new job, but no one likes working for a dishonest company. Truck drivers who get the call from a new carrier shouldn’t be kept in the dark about who they’re going to work for. Sometimes word of mouth simply isn’t enough to make an informed decision about a carrier company. So how do truckers arm themselves with the facts before signing on the dotted line?
The FMCSA site offers current safety and performance reports for every carrier company in North America.
To begin the search for CSA reports on carrier companies, visit
http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/Data/Search.aspx
The screen should look like this when you arrive:
Hit the “Search” button on the right.
You should now be looking at a screen like this:
After choosing the correct company from the search results column, the site will generate a Carrier Overview page with more specific information. You should now be looking at a score screen similar to this one for Heartland Express Carriers of Iowa.
Be sure to take note of the section of the page under the heading “Select a BASIC below to view details.” In the right hand column, a lower percentile score means less violations for that carrier. Take special note of any of the categories have these symbols below placed in the right hand column. If they appear, it means this carrier is performing poorly, or is currently under investigation by the FMCSA.
You’ll notice in the Carrier Overview picture that Heartland Express does not have any notations like these, because they are an excellent carrier company.
In the BASIC Details section, click on any of the categories to expand the section and view specific violations and the FMCSA’s ruling on the carrier.
If you would like a printable safety record that you can bring with you, perhaps to discuss with the operator before signing a contract, there is a link at the bottom of the Carrier Overview page to http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/. If you aren’t on a Carrier Overview page, but know basic information about them like name, DOT# or the MC/MX number, you can put them into the data fields at the top of the page. In your browser, just click on “File” at the top of your window, then choose “Print” and you’re good to go.
If you have any specific questions about how to get more detailed information about carrier companies that are hiring, please visit the FMCSA’s FAQ page here. Good luck, truckers!