Trucking Quote Application

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Many truckers and employers may not be aware of a scoring tool used by roadside inspectors called the Inspection Selection System (ISS). This system aims to help determine which vehicles will be selected for inspection and is most commonly used at fixed weigh station sites where the station compliance readers will identify an approaching vehicle. At that point, a bypass decision is then made based on a carrier’s ISS score along with the status of various credentials.

A motor carrier’s safety percentile ranking in Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) is the starting point for determining their ISS score. Here’s how it works: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) takes each motor carrier’s percentile ranking and, depending on the combination of scores and the fleet’s performance in the various CSA safety categories (also known as BASICs — Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Categories), fleets earn an ISS score from 0 to 100.

Not all BASICs are given the same weight. These three BASICs have the biggest impact on an ISS score:

• Unsafe driving, which includes speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, inattention, and not wearing seatbelts
• Hours of Service Compliance, which covers failure to meet hours of service regulations, including logbooks
• Crash Indicator, which considers a fleet’s history of crash involvement.

The goal is to have a low ISS score. A high ISS score guarantees you will be “red-lighted” and be required to pull into the checkpoint. The higher the score, the more likely you will be prioritized for an inspection.

ISS ratings are split into three categories. These categories are “inspect, optional, or pass.” You can see the actual ISS score through your FMCSA Portal or if you log into the Safety Measurement System (SMS) with a PIN. ISS ratings also can be available through various 3rd party sites such as the Central analysis Bureau or “CAB.”

Recommendation ISS Inspection Value

• Inspect (inspection warranted)  75-100
• Optional (may be worth a look) 50-74
• Pass (no inspection required)     1-49

When a truck enters a weigh station or DOT checkpoint, the inspector will pull the company ISS score. This will give the inspector an indication of whether they should complete a detailed inspection of the driver and the vehicle.

In most cases, if the score is good, the inspector will wave the truck through without conducting a detailed inspection. Instead, the DOT inspector will want to focus their efforts on companies with a historically bad ISS score.