The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) created the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) system. SAFER is a database of all companies that have a USDOT, MC/MX PIN.
Often called the USDOT snapshot, the platform offers a company profile that provides insights into the company’s safety information for managers, drivers and logistic companies.
What is SAFER Company Snapshot?
SaferSys allows you to have a clear snapshot of a company, with the following sections available:
- ID/Operations
- Inspections/Crashes in the US
- Inspections/Crashes in Canada
- Safety Rating
We’re going to provide you with an in-depth overview of the platform by dissecting the data that’s available for Schneider National Carriers INC. You can view the same information that we’ll be covering by going to:
- https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx
- Entering the following USDOT#: 264184
The information will pull up the USDOT snapshot for Schneider.
You’ll notice that you can submit form MCS-150 to challenge any of the information found in the database. Additional contact information is also provided. There’s also a date of when the information was last updated, and this date should be the business day before the search was conducted.
ID/Operations
First, you’re presented with the ID/Operations information. This section provides a snapshot of the company’s operation, including a variety of information, such as:
- Entity type
- Operating status
- Legal name
- DBA
- Address
- USDOT # / MC/MX/FF #
- Power units
- Drivers
- Total mileage in the past year
- Operation classification
- Cargo carried
For the company, we see that the 12,468 drivers logged 990 million miles in 2021. We can also see that they’re an interstate operator that hauls general freight, lumber, building materials, meat, beverages, chemicals, refrigerated foods, paper products and other goods, such as fresh produce.
Next, we move into the inspection and crash information for the company’s United States operations.
Inspections/Crashes in the US
Inspections are presented for a 24-month period prior to the day before the search. For example, if you conducted your search on May 2nd, the information is for the 24-month period ending on May 1st.
We’re able to see that Schneider had:
- 12,772 total inspections during this time
- 2 total IEP inspections
You’ll then have a chart of all inspection information, such as:
- Number of vehicle inspections
- Number of drivers
- Number of Hazmat and IEP inspections
- Out of service information for vehicles, drivers, Hazmat and IEP
- Percentage of out of service vehicles, drivers, Hazmat vehicles
You’ll also have a snapshot of how the company’s data compares to the national average. For example, we see that the national average percentage of out-of-service vehicles (OOS) is 21.26%, while Schneider maintains an OOS rate of 14.5%.
At the bottom of the report, the database also provides a crash report for the past 24 months, with the company reporting:
- 19 fatalities
- 238 injuries
- 547 tows
- 804 total crashes
This information will refresh and change over time, but this is the crash information for a 24-month period ending on 5/5/2022.
Next, we move into the inspection and crash information for the company’s Canadian operations.
Inspections/Crashes in Canada
The information under this section is identical to the United States section, but all of the data reflects inspections and crashes in Canada. Since Schneider doesn’t have a massive presence in Canada, the information in this section shows just 23 inspections over the last two years and zero crashes to report.
Safety Rating
Finally, the last section on the list of SAFER information includes the carrier’s safety record. The safety rating isn’t descriptive and only states “Satisfactory,” with the rating and review dates listed.
At the top of the portal, you’ll find a link to SMS information, which is the Safety Measurement System’s information.
The SMS portal provides a snapshot of the company’s number of:
- Vehicles
- Drivers
- Inspections
You’ll also be able to view the OOS versus the national average. If you want to drill this information down further, you can click on the numerous tabs at the top, such as information on:
- Unsafe driving
- Crash indicator
- Hours of service compliance
- Vehicle maintenance
- Controlled substances and alcohol
- Hazardous materials compliance (not public)
- Driver fitness
Clicking on the unsafe driving tab, we can see the total unsafe driving violations along with driver inspections that include unsafe driving violations. Charts help you visualize the carrier measure over time and inspection results.
You can see summaries of all violations and inspection history. If an investigation is necessary, there’s a tab for you to search all of the results reported.
Each section and tab provides you with a wealth of information about violations. For example, you can view all of the maintenance violations, such as one violation mentioning a flat tire with an audible air leak and another with inoperable turn signals. A violation severity weight is also assigned to each violation to make it easier to categorize minor and major violations.
SAFER company snapshot provides you with a true snapshot of a carrier’s operations.
The SaferSys makes it easier for logistic teams and even potential truckers to learn more about risk when hauling or relying on a carrier to deliver goods. With the ability to review national and company averages, it’s easy to understand the carrier’s safety track record.
SAFER Company Safety Profile
SAFER provides the option to order a Company Safety Profile (CSP) for a fee of $20 for each profile. The profile isn’t in real-time and will be sent to the person’s email address within 72 hours after they pay the fee.
You can also call (800) 832-5660 if you want to obtain a CSP.
