Skip to content
YieldShield

USDOT 3946109

Vehicle Maintenance

VEH_MAINT · FMCSA SMS Methodology v3.20

← back to full report

Percentile

35

0 best · 100 worst · threshold 80

Measure

3.45

Safety Event Group: 21-100 relevant vehicle inspections

Where you sit on the 0-100 percentile scale

thr 80
you · 35
0 (best)100 (worst)
■ Clean zone (0-80)■ Intervention zone (80-100)

Bands show 80% / 20% split: pass-zone and inspect-zone for this BASIC's intervention threshold.

◕ What this BASIC measures

Vehicle Maintenance measures mechanical / brake / lighting / tire / steering defects discovered at roadside inspection.

Investigation result

No Acute/Critical violations discovered in the past 12 months.

How to clean it up

  • Brake defects, lighting violations, tire condition, and cargo securement failures are the top four contributors to this BASIC.
  • Pre-trip inspections documented in DVIR are your primary evidence that defects were found and corrected; unsigned or incomplete DVIRs leave you exposed.
  • Brake adjustment is the single largest citation category: check slack-adjuster stroke on every tractor at every PM service and after any brake work.
  • Annual inspections are required by 49 CFR 396.17; keep the report on file for 14 months and carry the inspection sticker; missing sticker is a citable violation at roadside.
  • Carriers with a high VEH_MAINT percentile often qualify for FMCSA New Entrant Safety Audit waiver; but only if they have a documented preventive-maintenance program with written schedules.

See per-inspection detail on the FMCSA SMS portal →