FMCSA safety rating
The formal safety rating FMCSA issues to a motor carrier after a compliance review. Three possible values: Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory. A fourth state — Not Rated — is the default for carriers that have not yet received a compliance review, which is the majority of registered carriers.
Why it matters
The safety rating is the formal federal determination, distinct from the rolling SMS percentile measures. A Satisfactory rating is the federal sign-off that the carrier passed a compliance review. A Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating signals that the review found problems serious enough to require corrective action or, in the Unsatisfactory case, to potentially bar the carrier from interstate operation.
Where it appears in a ProHRHQ carrier page
The ProHRHQ carrier page's Federal record summary shows the FMCSA safety rating on file and the date the rating was assigned. A rating from 2002 doesn't mean the carrier has been Satisfactory for 24 years; it means the last compliance review was in 2002. Rolling SMS percentile measures are how federal oversight tracks safety performance in the years between formal reviews.
How a rating is assigned
A safety rating comes from a compliance review, an investigation of the carrier's records and operations by FMCSA or a state partner, not from roadside data alone. The three ratings are Satisfactory, Conditional and Unsatisfactory. Most carriers have never been reviewed and are listed as unrated, which says nothing good or bad about them. An Unsatisfactory rating that is not corrected within the allowed period results in an order to stop operating in interstate commerce. A carrier with a Conditional rating can ask for a new review after fixing the problems found. Shippers and brokers often check the rating before tendering freight.
Related terms
FMCSA safety rating is a federal determination. The rating shown on a ProHRHQ carrier page reflects what is on file with FMCSA at the time of the most recent monthly data refresh. The authoritative source is FMCSA SAFER.