CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance)
The nonprofit alliance of US, Canadian, and Mexican enforcement agencies that sets North American roadside inspection standards, including the eight inspection levels and out-of-service criteria. CVSA-standard inspection results feed directly into the SMS data CarrierOk indexes for every registered carrier.
Learn moreWhat is CVSA?
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is a nonprofit association of local, state, provincial, territorial, and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. CVSA does not conduct inspections itself — its member agencies do — but it defines the standards those inspections follow. Its most important outputs are the North American Standard Inspection Program, which specifies the eight inspection levels (Level I through Level VIII, from the full driver-and-vehicle Level I inspection down to electronic inspections), and the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, the pass/fail rulebook that determines when a driver or vehicle must be immediately removed from service. Vehicles that pass a Level I or Level V inspection with no critical violations earn a CVSA decal, generally exempting them from re-inspection for up to three months. CVSA also runs high-visibility enforcement events, most famously International Roadcheck, a 72-hour inspection blitz each year that generates a spike in inspection volume across North America. Because every CVSA-standard inspection result flows into FMCSA's Motor Carrier Management Information System and from there into SMS, CVSA's criteria effectively define the raw data behind BASIC percentiles, OOS rates, and the ISS scores that CarrierOk computes and serves.
Why does cvsa matter?
Insurance Underwriters
CVSA's out-of-service criteria are the objective standard behind OOS rates — a fleet whose vehicle OOS rate runs well above the national average is failing an inspection rulebook that is identical everywhere in North America.
Freight Brokers
CVSA decals signal a recently passed full inspection, and Roadcheck week is when marginal carriers park their worst equipment — inspection data from enforcement blitzes is a useful read on fleet condition.
Developers & Platforms
CVSA standards make inspection data comparable across all jurisdictions — you can safely aggregate inspections_total and OOS fields across states and provinces because the criteria are uniform.
Key values & thresholds
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Level I | Full North American Standard (driver + vehicle) |
| Level II | Walk-around driver/vehicle |
| Level III | Driver credentials only |
| CVSA Decal | Passed Level I/V, valid up to 3 months |
CVSA in the CarrierOk API
This data is available via the /v2/profile endpoint. The following fields are returned in the carrier profile:
/v2/profileinspections_totalinspections_driver_out_of_serviceinspections_vehicle_out_of_serviceoos_alert_driveroos_alert_vehicleFrequently asked questions
What are the CVSA inspection levels?
CVSA defines eight levels. Level I is the North American Standard Inspection — the most thorough, covering both driver credentials and a full vehicle examination. Level II is a walk-around driver and vehicle inspection without going under the vehicle. Level III examines driver credentials only. Level IV is a special one-time study inspection, Level V is a vehicle-only inspection, Level VI applies to certain radioactive shipments, Level VII covers jurisdiction-specific inspections, and Level VIII is an electronic inspection conducted wirelessly while the vehicle is in motion.
What is a CVSA decal and how long is it valid?
A CVSA decal is issued when a vehicle passes a Level I or Level V inspection with no critical vehicle inspection item violations. The decal signals to inspectors that the vehicle was recently examined in full, and decaled vehicles are generally not re-inspected for the decal's validity period — up to three months, indicated by the decal's color and punch marks. The decal attaches to the vehicle, not the carrier, so a fleet's overall safety record is still measured by its SMS data, not its decal count.
What is International Roadcheck?
International Roadcheck is CVSA's annual high-visibility enforcement event, typically a 72-hour period each year in which member agencies across the US, Canada, and Mexico conduct a concentrated wave of inspections, most at Level I. Each year emphasizes a focus area such as brakes or hours of service. The event produces a visible spike in inspection volume in carrier records, and because out-of-service results from Roadcheck flow into SMS like any other inspection, the weeks after Roadcheck are a good time to re-check the BASIC percentiles and OOS rates of carriers you rely on.
Related terms
OOS Rate (Out-of-Service Rate)
The percentage of a carrier's roadside inspections that result in an out-of-service order, meaning the driver or vehicle is prohibited from operating until the violation is corrected. National average vehicle OOS rate is approximately 21%. CarrierOk provides both driver and vehicle OOS rates and flags carriers exceeding national averages.
SMS (Safety Measurement System)
FMCSA's quantitative system for measuring motor carrier safety performance using inspection, crash, and investigation data. SMS produces the BASIC percentile scores that underpin the CSA enforcement program. CarrierOk computes all 7 BASIC percentiles from SMS source data and updates more frequently than FMCSA's monthly cycle.
Out-of-Service Order
A federal or state directive that immediately shuts down a carrier's entire operation, or sidelines a specific vehicle or driver, until violations are corrected. Distinct from the out-of-service rate, which is an inspection statistic. Operating under an OOS order is a serious federal violation and one of the strongest disqualifiers in carrier vetting.
DOT Inspection
A roadside examination of a commercial vehicle, its driver, or both, conducted to CVSA standards by state and federal enforcement. Every inspection's violations and out-of-service results flow into FMCSA's SMS, where they drive the BASIC percentiles and OOS rates CarrierOk serves for every registered carrier.
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