What Motor Carrier Data Should You Review During a Claims Investigation?

When a transportation claim occurs, motor carrier data can provide valuable context.

But there is an important distinction: what the carrier looks like today may not be what the carrier looked like when the loss occurred.

Fleet size can change. Drivers can change. New inspections and violations can occur. Additional crashes can be reported. Operating information can change.

For a claims investigation, the goal isn't simply to pull the latest carrier information. It's to understand the information that may be relevant to the carrier and the period you're investigating. That starts with the date of loss.

1. Confirm the carrier and the event

Before reviewing safety history, establish the basic facts. Confirm:

• USDOT number
• Legal and business names
• Date of loss
• Carrier identity
• Operating information
• Other relevant identifiers

FMCSA's Company Census data includes identifying information, business operations, equipment and driver data for registered entities. The USDOT number is particularly important because FMCSA assigns it as the unique safety registration number for the entity record.

Once the correct carrier is established, use the date of loss as the anchor point for the investigation.

2. Don't rely only on today's carrier snapshot

SAFER's Company Snapshot provides a concise current record containing company identification, size, commodity information and safety information, including roadside out-of-service inspection summaries and crash information.

That's useful. But a current snapshot should not automatically be treated as a reconstruction of the carrier at an earlier point in time.

Consider what may have changed since the loss:

• Power units
• Driver count
• Operating information
• Inspection history
• Violations
• Out-of-service activity
• Crash history

For claims purposes, separating information relevant to the period before or around the loss from information that appeared afterward can prevent today's carrier profile from being mistaken for historical context.

The date of loss should organize the investigation, not today's date.

3. Review inspection and violation history

FMCSA's Inspection Files contain data from state and federal inspection actions involving motor carriers, and the agency currently publishes three years of historical inspection data through its Open Data Program.

Depending on the circumstances of the claim, questions might include:

• What inspection activity occurred before the loss?
• Were relevant violations documented?
• Were similar violations appearing repeatedly?
• Was there vehicle-related activity that deserves review?
• Was there relevant out-of-service activity?
• How close in time was the activity to the loss?

FMCSA's inspection data can include violation codes and categories, unit information, out-of-service indicators and other inspection details.

But a prior violation does not automatically establish that it contributed to a later loss. It provides information. Relevance and causation require further investigation.

4. Review crash history carefully

FMCSA's Crash File contains information derived from federal, state and local police crash reports involving commercial motor carriers. The records can contain information about the motor carrier, vehicles and circumstances of the crash.

Crash history may provide useful context. But it needs careful interpretation. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System notes that listed crashes represent a motor carrier's involvement in reportable crashes regardless of the carrier's or driver's role in the crash.

A prior crash therefore does not automatically establish:

• Fault
• Preventability
• Negligence
• Liability
• A pattern relevant to the current claim

It may create a question worth investigating. That's different from providing the answer.

5. Look at what was changing around the loss

Claims investigation becomes more informative when individual events are placed on a timeline. Ask:

• Was fleet size changing?
• Was driver count changing?
• Was inspection activity changing?
• Were new violation patterns emerging?
• Was out-of-service activity changing?
• Were there relevant crashes before the loss?
• What changed after the loss?

FMCSA's SMS carrier profiles include 24 months of inspection and crash history, while current FMCSA Open Data inspection files provide three years of historical inspection information.

Historical information can help distinguish a single point in time from a broader pattern. But the interpretation still matters. Fleet growth, for example, doesn't establish that the operation became less safe. It simply changes the operating context.

6. Investigate related carrier entities when relevant

Sometimes an investigation raises questions about businesses or entities related to the carrier. Shared identifying information might include:

• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Email information
• Representatives
• Other identifying characteristics

Carrier Software's Chameleon analysis can help surface potential carrier relationships that may deserve additional investigation.

But a shared identifier is not evidence of wrongdoing. There may be legitimate reasons for related entities to share addresses, representatives or contact information. The appropriate question is: is this relationship relevant to the claim we're investigating?

7. Separate evidence from investigative questions

This is one of the most important disciplines in a data-driven claims investigation. Separate what the data shows from what the data makes you want to investigate.

This prevents information from becoming a conclusion before the supporting facts are established.

Carrier data can identify questions. It doesn't answer questions the data itself cannot establish.

Build the Carrier Timeline

Finally, organize relevant information chronologically. Keeping these periods separate helps prevent later information from being unintentionally treated as though it existed before the loss.

1. 1Before the lossWhat relevant information existed? Carrier identity. Operating information. Fleet and driver information. Inspections. Violations. Out-of-service activity. Prior crashes.
2. 2Date of lossAnchor the investigation to the event date. Identify the carrier, vehicle, driver and circumstances relevant to the claim.
3. 3After the lossWhat changed afterward? Operational changes. New inspections. New violations. New crash information. Other relevant developments.

Keep information that existed before the loss separate from information that appeared afterward.

Bring the information together

Carrier Software's Claims Investigation helps transportation insurance professionals review motor carrier information and historical context during the claims process. Carrier Risk Analysis can provide broader carrier context when additional evaluation is appropriate.

The purpose isn't to turn carrier data into a liability determination. It's to make relevant information easier to identify, organize and investigate.

The takeaway

Motor carrier data can be valuable during a claims investigation. But timing matters.

Confirm the carrier. Anchor the review to the date of loss. Look at relevant inspections, violations, out-of-service information and crash history. Identify changes in the operation. Separate what happened before the loss from what appeared afterward. And most importantly, distinguish what the data establishes from what still needs to be investigated.

Good claims investigation uses carrier data to build better questions, not premature conclusions.

Sources

Factual statements in this guide are based on official Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and SAFER materials, including FMCSA's Company Census data and its identifying, business operations, equipment and driver information; FMCSA's assignment of the USDOT number as the unique safety registration identifier for an entity record; the SAFER Company Snapshot and its company identification, size, commodity and safety information, including roadside out-of-service inspection summaries and crash information; FMCSA's Inspection Files containing state and federal inspection data with violation codes and categories, unit information and out-of-service indicators; FMCSA's Open Data Program publication of three years of historical inspection data; FMCSA's Crash File derived from federal, state and local police crash reports; and the Safety Measurement System's 24-month inspection and crash history and its statement that listed crashes reflect a carrier's involvement in reportable crashes regardless of the carrier's or driver's role.

This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, claims-handling, coverage, liability, regulatory, safety, underwriting, investigative, or insurance advice. Carrier information may be incomplete, delayed, corrected, or updated over time. Organizations should conduct claims investigations according to their own procedures, applicable law, policy terms, evidence, and professional judgment.