Safety ratings may or may not be assigned to the motor carrier based on the type of review or investigation. Comprehensive reviews or investigations will result in a safety rating. Focused reviews or investigations may result in a non-rated review or conditional rating. The motor carrier will not receive a satisfactory rating from a focused review and if a focused review indicates the motor carrier would be rated as unsatisfactory, the review or investigation will switch to comprehensive.
Ratings listed on the Compliance Review or Investigation report and provide during closeout is a proposed rating. The rating becomes final after 60 days for motor carriers of property and 45 days for motor carriers of passengers or hazardous materials. The safety rating, other than satisfactory, does not take effect until final rating issued on the 61st or 46th day depending on the cargo hauled as mentioned above. The satisfactory rating usually become final once the review or investigation report is uploaded and approved by FMCSA
Satisfactory – This rating is only assigned to a motor carrier after a comprehensive review or investigation. This rating means the motor carrier has adequate safety management controls in place to meet the safety fitness standard as prescribed in 49 CFR 385.5. Safety management controls are adequate if they are appropriate for the size and type of operation of the motor carrier.
Conditional - This rating could be assigned to a motor carrier after a comprehensive or focused review or investigation. This rating means the motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to meet the safety fitness standard as prescribed in 49 CFR 385.5.
Unsatisfactory – This rating is only assigned to a motor carrier after a comprehensive review or investigation. If the review or investigation began as focused it will switch to comprehensive in order to assess the motor carrier’s entire operation before assigning this rating. This rating means the motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to meet the safety fitness standard as prescribed in 49 CFR 385.5. If this rating becomes final, the motor carrier will be under a Federal Out-of-Service order until the safety rating is upgraded.
Non-Rated review or investigation – This is noted after focused reviews or investigations that are unable to determine, based on the areas examined, if the motor carrier has adequate safety management controls in place to meet the safety fitness standard as prescribed in 49 CFR 385.5. Due to the focused nature of the review or investigation, the motor carrier cannot be issued a safety rating. If the motor carrier has a previous safety rating assigned, a non-rated review or investigation will not change the safety rating already issued to the motor carrier.
Unrated carrier – An unrated motor carrier means that a safety rating has not been assigned to the motor carrier.