A DOT recordable accident is any crash involving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) that meets the FMCSA’s carrier safety regulations criteria for reporting. This includes crashes that involve:
- A fatality
- Bodily injury requiring immediate medical treatment away from the crash scene or
- A crash that causes any vehicle to be towed from the scene
As a trucking company owner, staying on top of DOT regulations is essential to your business’s compliance and safety success. One of the key areas regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is accident reporting.
Specifically, the FMCSA requires companies to report certain types of crashes, called DOT Recordable Accidents, that meet specific criteria. Knowing what qualifies as a DOT recordable accident, why it matters, and how it can impact your company’s standing with the DOT is crucial for maintaining a safe, compliant fleet.
Let’s review what constitutes a DOT recordable accident, the types of crashes the FMCSA requires companies to report, and take a brief look into accident rate calculations that help determine a motor carriers safety performance. Understanding these points can help you maintain better compliance, improve safety practices, and keep your company in good standing with regulators.
What is a DOT Recordable Accident?
In simple terms, a Department of Transportation (DOT) recordable accident is any crash involving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) that meets the FMCSA’s carrier safety regulations criteria for reporting. These incidents must be documented and reported to the DOT if they meet specific conditions under the DOT reportable accident definition. The purpose of tracking recordable accidents is to help the FMCSA monitor and enforce safety standards, identify trends, and hold carriers accountable for their safety performance.
Why DOT Reportable Accidents Matter:
For carriers, DOT recordable accidents play a significant role in determining a company’s safety rating and Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) scores. A higher accident rate can lead to increased scrutiny from the FMCSA, potential interventions, and a negative impact on your business reputation. Therefore, knowing the criteria for DOT reportable accidents and how to manage them is critical for any trucking company.
Additionally, a DOT reportable accident is required to be listed on your DOT Accident Register ( 49 CFR 390.15). (This can also be called your Motor Vehicle Accident Register or simply just Accident Register too). This document lists all of the reportable crashes that your fleet had in each calendar year.
You’re required to keep this document up to date and present your accident register for the last 3 years to the FMCSA, if requested. This only happens if you’re in the process of going through a DOT compliance review (DOT Audit).
Grab Your Free Accident Register Here
What Types of Crashes are Considered A DOT Recordable Accident?
Not every accident involving a commercial vehicle is considered a DOT reportable accident. The following conditions must be met for an accident to meet the DOT recordable definition outlined in 49 CFR 390.5(T).
Fatality: Any accident involving a commercial vehicle that results in a fatality is automatically considered recordable. This includes the death of any person involved in the crash, whether they were in the truck, another vehicle, or even a pedestrian.
Injury Requiring Immediate Medical Attention Away from the Scene: If an accident results in an injury that requires medical attention away from the scene (e.g., at a hospital or clinic), it’s classified as recordable. This includes injuries to individuals in the truck, other vehicles, or pedestrians. Basically, if someone has to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance, it will be a DOT reportable crash.
Vehicle Disabling Damage Requiring Tow-Away: If a crash causes disabling damage to one or more vehicles involved, rendering them unable to operate without being towed, it meets the criteria for a DOT recordable incident. “Disabling damage” means that the vehicle cannot be safely driven away from the scene and requires a tow truck. Minor damages, such as a flat tire or cosmetic damage that doesn’t prevent the vehicle from being driven, typically do not meet this threshold.
Please note that there is no carve out for a DOT recordable accident on private property. If your CMV is involved in a reportable crash, it must be reported regardless of where the crash occurred.
It’s important to understand that these criteria apply to all commercial vehicle accidents, regardless of who was at fault. Even if your driver wasn’t responsible for the accident, if it involves any of these criteria, it’s still considered a recordable event by the FMCSA.
How to Report a DOT Reportable Accident
You don’t need to!
If your CMV is involved in a recordable accident, the responding police agency will code the truck accident on their police report. This information is compiled and sent to the FMCSA from each State every month per the FMCSA accident reporting requirements.
Depending on when the collision occurred, the car accident may not show up on your SMS information for for about 30 to 60 days.
Types of Accidents That Do Not Qualify as DOT Recordable
Understanding what doesn’t qualify as a recordable accident is also crucial. What is a non DOT recordable accident? Some examples include:
Minor Fender Benders: If an accident only involves minor property damage, like a scratch or a dent, and doesn’t require towing or medical attention, it isn’t recordable.
No-Injury Accidents: If an accident occurs but does not involve fatalities, injuries requiring medical treatment away from the scene, or disabling vehicle damage, it’s not reportable to the FMCSA.
Damage That Doesn’t Affect Vehicle Operation: If the damage is purely cosmetic or can be repaired without towing (e.g., a mirror replacement or minor bodywork), it doesn’t meet the criteria for recordable accidents.
The FMCSA specifically grants exceptions for “An occurrence involving only boarding and alighting from a stationary motor vehicle or an occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo”.
While these non-recordable accidents don’t impact your DOT safety rating, keeping a record of all incidents can still be valuable for internal tracking, coaching drivers, and identifying potential safety improvements.
DOT Recordable Accident vs. DOT Reportable Accident
Which is correct? They both are used pretty much interchangeably. You can call these crashes a DOT recordable accident, a DOT reportable accident, an FMCSA recordable accident, an FMCSA reportable accident or even a FMCSA DOT reportable accident. Regardless of what you name it, we’re talking about the same thing…a crash that meets the DOT’s reportable accident definition.
DOT Recordable Accident Drug Testing Requirements
No discussion of reportable accidents would be complete without mentioning post-accident drug and alcohol testing. Simply put, a drug test is required within 32 hours of a DOT reportable crash AND an alcohol test is required within 8 hours after a DOT recordable crash when:
- A fatality occurs or
- Your driver was issued a citation
If there was no fatality and your driver didn’t receive a citation for a crash, they do not have to be tested under the FMCSA regulations. This doesn’t mean that it may not be a good idea to have them tested regardless.
But, that’s a decision that you’ll have to make for your fleet. We recommend testing drivers for both drugs and alcohol use within 8 hours of a DOT recordable accident. But, again, this is optional.
How Long Will A DOT Reportable Accident Show Up on Our CSA Information?
A DOT recordable accident will show up on your CSA information for 24 months after the month of the crash. Though, you will see on a CSA points chart that the weight of each crash will be reduced at the 6 month and 12 month marks.
Your first reportable crash will not cause you to have a CSA score generated in the Crash BASIC. But, a second reportable crash will cause you to have a BASIC score in this category.
Crashes with an injury or a fatality will generate 2 severity points in the CSA BASIC system.
Crashes with only property damage will generate 1 severity point in the CSA BASIC system.
Crashes that involve the release of hazardous materials will have an additional 1 point added on as well.
Once your Crash CSA BASIC score is above 65% (for non HAZMAT hauling property carriers), you’ll have a BASIC alert in this category. (The threshold for passenger carriers is 50% and 60% for HAZMAT haulers).
It’s also important to note that a DOT recordable crash will show up on a CMV driver’s Pre-Employment Screening (PSP) report for 36 months after a crash.
Can You Get a DOT Reportable Accident Removed From Your CSA Information?
No. All reportable crashes will show up on your CSA SMS information for 24 months after the crash.
But, if the crash was “not preventable” (as defined in the FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP) eligibility guide, then you can appeal the crash through the FMCSA DataQ program. If successful, the points will be removed from the crash and it will be listed apart from the other crashes in your CSA information.
Reviewed Non-Preventable crashes will show up in your SMS information like this:
But, do note that it currently takes about 90 days for the FMCSA to review all CPDP requests due to the volume of requests received.
DOT Accident Rate Calculations and Why They Matter
The DOT accident rate is a calculation that helps gauge the safety performance of a carrier by considering the number of recordable accidents relative to the miles driven by the company’s fleet. This rate is often expressed per million miles traveled, making it easy to standardize and compare safety performance across carriers of different sizes.
How is the Accident Rate Calculated?
The basic formula for calculating the DOT accident rate is as follows:
DOT Accident Rate = (Number of DOT Recordable Accidents x 1,000,000) / Total Miles Driven
For example, if your company had three recordable accidents over a period in which your trucks drove a total of 2,000,000 miles, your accident rate would be:
(3 x 1,000,000) / 2,000,000 = 1.5
This means your company has an accident rate of 1.5 per million miles driven. Lower accident rates indicate safer operations, while higher rates can indicate a need for enhanced safety protocols and driver training.
Why the Accident Rate Matters
The FMCSA monitors carriers’ accident rates as part of the CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) program. Specifically, the CSA Crash BASIC is a dedicated measure of your DOT reportable crash performance over the last 24 months. As we’ve seen over the last two years, a high accident rate can trigger a review or intervention by the FMCSA, potentially leading to safety audits, fines, or even loss of operating authority if problems aren’t corrected.
Additionally, accident rates are visible to prospective clients, insurance providers, and stakeholders. A high rate can result in higher insurance premiums, reduced business opportunities, and a negative impact on your company’s reputation in the industry. Keeping your accident rate low is not only beneficial for DOT compliance but also for the overall success and sustainability of your business.
If your DOT recordable accident rate is above 1.6 crashes per 1 million miles, your company will fail the “Accident” area of your compliance review and you will most likely receive a Conditional Safety Rating as a result.
Tips for Reducing DOT Recordable Accidents
Invest in Driver Training and Safety Programs: Regular training on defensive driving, fatigue management, and handling adverse weather can greatly improve safety and help prevent roadside inspections.
Encourage a Safety-First Culture: Build a culture that prioritizes safety over speed or delivery deadlines. Empower drivers to make safe decisions and reinforce that safety is always the top priority.
Use Technology for Monitoring and Coaching: Telematics and dash cameras can help you track driver behavior, monitor vehicle performance, and identify areas for improvement. Run speeding reports from your ELD each week to determine which drivers aren’t maintaining safe speeds. Implement a program to help encourage drivers to slow down.
Focus in Your Preventive Maintenance Programs: Regular vehicle maintenance can prevent breakdowns that may lead to accidents. It also ensures your fleet is in optimal condition for safe operation. Have your drivers pay particular attention to preventing burnt light bulbs, proper tire maintenance and well adjusted air brake systems.
Promote Good Health and Fatigue Management: Fatigued driving is a major risk factor for commercial drivers. Encourage drivers to rest when needed and stay aware of their physical and mental well-being. This should also help reduce the likelihood of Hours of Service violations, like abusing the Personal Conveyance driving status.
Wrapping Up
Understanding DOT recordable accidents and their impact on your trucking company is essential for maintaining compliance, ensuring safety, and protecting your company’s reputation. By keeping track of recordable accidents and managing your accident rate, you can improve your safety performance and stay ahead of DOT requirements. Ultimately, reducing DOT recordable accidents isn’t just about meeting regulatory standards – it’s about creating a safer environment for your drivers and everyone else on the road.
Taking proactive steps, from driver training and safety culture to preventive maintenance, can make a meaningful difference in reducing your accident rate. Not only will this help you stay compliant, but it will also strengthen your position in the industry as a safe, reliable carrier – which is invaluable for building trust and long-term success.
In addition to maintaining your accident registers, we would also:
- Submit DataQ requests to have non-preventable crashes removed
- Report crashes/losses to your insurance company
- Provide Corrective Action Training for drivers involved in crashes
and much more for only $49 monthly per driver! Check out www.MySafetyManager.com for more information!
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