DOT Safety Rating Explained: What Each Rating Means and How to Appeal
How a compliance review turns into a rating, how the six factors are scored, and the 45 and 60-day clocks that decide whether a carrier keeps running.
An FMCSA safety rating is the agency’s judgment, after a compliance review, of whether a motor carrier has adequate safety management controls. There are three ratings, Satisfactory, Conditional and Unsatisfactory, and a carrier that has never been reviewed is Unrated. An Unsatisfactory rating that becomes final bars the carrier from operating and leads to revocation of its operating authority.
The rules are in 49 CFR Part 385, with the scoring method in Appendix B. They are current as of November 2026.
What do the safety ratings mean?
| Rating | Definition in 49 CFR 385.3 | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfactory | Adequate safety management controls are in place and functioning | No restrictions |
| Conditional | Controls are not adequate, which could result in the problems listed in 385.5 | Can operate; many shippers, brokers and insurers look at it closely |
| Unsatisfactory | Controls are not adequate, and that has resulted in those problems | Prohibited from operating once final |
| Unrated | FMCSA has not assigned a rating | No restrictions; the carrier has not had a compliance review |
A rating is not the same as CSA scores. CSA percentiles flag carriers for interventions, and one possible intervention is a compliance review that produces a rating. See CSA scores explained for how the scores work.
How does a compliance review lead to a rating?
A compliance review is an in-depth examination of the carrier’s records, such as driver qualification files, hours-of-service records, maintenance files, drug and alcohol testing records and accident register. Appendix B says reviews are used to rate unrated carriers, to follow up on carriers rated Unsatisfactory or Conditional, to investigate complaints and to respond to a carrier’s request for a new rating.
Investigators look for violations of “acute” and “critical” regulations. An acute violation is serious enough to need immediate correction on its own, such as knowingly letting a driver with more than one CDL drive. A critical violation points to a breakdown in management controls, such as letting a driver exceed the 11-hour limit. One point is assessed for each acute violation and for each pattern of critical violations, meaning more than one violation and at least 10 percent of the records checked. A pattern of hours-of-service critical violations counts double.
What are the six rating factors?
Points are grouped into six factors. Each factor is rated Satisfactory with 0 points, Conditional with 1 point and Unsatisfactory with 2 or more.
- General: Parts 387 and 390, such as insurance and the accident register.
- Driver: Parts 382, 383 and 391, such as drug and alcohol testing, CDLs and qualification files.
- Operational: Parts 392 and 395, driving rules and hours of service.
- Vehicle: Parts 393 and 396. With 3 or more vehicle inspections in the past 12 months, an out-of-service rate of 34 percent or higher starts this factor at Conditional.
- Hazardous materials: Parts 397, 171, 177 and 180.
- Accident: the recordable accident rate for the past 12 months, used only with 2 or more recordable accidents. A rate above 1.5 per million miles, or 1.7 for carriers operating within 100 air miles, is Unsatisfactory.
The factor ratings then go into a fixed table:
| Unsatisfactory factors | Conditional factors | Overall rating |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 or fewer | Satisfactory |
| 0 | More than 2 | Conditional |
| 1 | 2 or fewer | Conditional |
| 1 | More than 2 | Unsatisfactory |
| 2 or more | Any | Unsatisfactory |
When does a proposed rating become final?
FMCSA must send written notice within 30 days after the review. A Satisfactory rating, or one that improves an Unsatisfactory rating, is final on the date of the notice. Any other rating is first issued as a proposed rating and becomes final 45 days after the notice for carriers of placardable hazmat or passengers, and 60 days after the notice for all other carriers (49 CFR 385.11).
For a proposed Unsatisfactory rating, the same clock decides when the trucks stop. Under 385.13, hazmat and passenger carriers may not operate starting on the 46th day after the notice, and other carriers starting on the 61st day. FMCSA may give a non-hazmat property carrier up to 60 more days if it is making a good-faith effort to improve. Once the rating is final, FMCSA issues an out-of-service order and, after notice, revokes the carrier’s operating authority. The rating is public on the carrier’s SAFER snapshot, which is how shippers and brokers find it; see how to check a trucking company’s safety record.
How do you appeal or upgrade a safety rating?
There are two separate routes, and a carrier can use both.
- Administrative review (385.15): for a carrier that believes FMCSA made a factual or procedural error. Send a written request to FMCSA’s Assistant Administrator, attention Adjudications Counsel, listing every issue in dispute with supporting documents. The deadline is 90 days from the proposed or final rating, but a carrier facing a proposed Unsatisfactory should file within 15 days so FMCSA can decide before the prohibition starts. FMCSA decides within 30 days for hazmat and passenger carriers and 45 days for others.
- Upgrade based on corrective action (385.17): for a carrier that fixed the problems. Send a written request to the FMCSA Service Center for the region of your principal place of business, with a description of each corrective action and proof, such as new policies, training records, audits of logs or maintenance files. It can be filed at any time. For Unsatisfactory ratings FMCSA reviews within 30 days for hazmat and passenger carriers and 45 days for others.
A request under 385.17 does not stop the 45-day clock for hazmat and passenger carriers. If FMCSA denies the upgrade, the carrier has 90 days to ask for administrative review. The text of the regulation is at 49 CFR 385.17.
Bottom line
The days between the review and the final rating are the carrier’s best chance, because a well-documented corrective action plan sent in the first two weeks can keep a proposed Unsatisfactory from ever taking effect. Hours-of-service patterns weigh double in the scoring, so log audits are usually the first place to start.
FAQ
Can a carrier with a Conditional rating keep operating?
Yes. A Conditional rating does not restrict operations under federal rules, but many shippers, brokers and insurers review or limit business with Conditional carriers.
Is “Unrated” bad?
No. It means FMCSA has not done a compliance review of the carrier. The new entrant safety audit is a different process and does not produce a rating.
How long does an Unsatisfactory carrier have to fix problems?
The proposed rating becomes final after 45 days for hazmat and passenger carriers and 60 days for others. FMCSA may allow up to 60 more days for a non-hazmat property carrier making a good-faith effort.
Does a better rating remove old violations?
No. An upgrade changes the rating, but inspection and crash records stay in FMCSA’s data for their normal periods.
