DataQs
FMCSA's online system for challenging incorrect inspection, crash, and registration data through Requests for Data Review (RDRs). A successful RDR removes or corrects the record and recalculates the carrier's SMS scores. CarrierOk reflects post-DataQs corrections as they flow through FMCSA's data releases.
Learn moreWhat is DataQs?
DataQs is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's system for requesting review of federal and state data that a carrier or driver believes is incomplete or incorrect. The filing is called a Request for Data Review (RDR), and it is routed to the agency that originally submitted the record — usually the state enforcement agency that conducted the inspection or reported the crash. Common RDR subjects include violations cited to the wrong carrier, duplicate crash reports, citations dismissed in court, and inspections attributed to the wrong DOT number. Since FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program became permanent, carriers can also submit eligible crash types for a preventability review; crashes ruled not preventable are excluded from the Crash Indicator BASIC calculation. When an RDR succeeds, the corrected record propagates into the Safety Measurement System at the next monthly SMS snapshot, changing the carrier's BASIC measures and percentiles. This matters for anyone consuming safety data: a carrier's scores are not static history but a living dataset subject to correction. CarrierOk ingests FMCSA's updated data releases and recomputes all seven BASIC percentiles in-house, so successful DataQs challenges are reflected in the API without manual intervention.
Why does dataqs matter?
Insurance Underwriters
A carrier with pending or recently successful RDRs may look worse on paper than it actually is — ask about active DataQs challenges when a single crash or inspection is driving an elevated BASIC.
Freight Brokers
If a carrier disputes a violation on its record, DataQs is the only legitimate correction path — be skeptical of carriers who claim scores are wrong but have never filed an RDR.
Developers & Platforms
Treat inspection and crash counts as mutable — records can disappear after successful RDRs, so reconcile against current API values rather than caching historical snapshots indefinitely.
Key values & thresholds
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Filing Mechanism | Request for Data Review (RDR) |
| Reviewed By | Agency that submitted the record |
| Crash Preventability | Eligible crashes can be excluded |
| Score Impact | Recalculated at next SMS snapshot |
DataQs in the CarrierOk API
This data is available via the /v2/profile endpoint. The following fields are returned in the carrier profile:
/v2/profileinspections_totalviolations_totalcrashes_totalbasic_percentile_crash_indicatorFrequently asked questions
What is DataQs and who can file a challenge?
DataQs is FMCSA's system for disputing incorrect safety data — inspections, violations, crashes, and registration records. Motor carriers, drivers, and other affected parties can file a Request for Data Review (RDR) at no cost. The challenge is routed to the agency that originally submitted the record, typically the state enforcement agency, which decides whether to uphold, correct, or remove it. FMCSA does not overrule state determinations in most cases, so the quality of the supporting evidence submitted with the RDR is decisive.
Does a successful DataQs challenge change SMS scores?
Yes. When an RDR results in a violation being removed or a crash being corrected or ruled not preventable, the record is updated in FMCSA's systems and the carrier's BASIC measures and percentiles are recalculated at the next monthly SMS snapshot. For small carriers with few inspections, removing a single serious violation can move a BASIC percentile dramatically, because each event carries more weight when the denominator is small.
How does the Crash Preventability Determination Program work?
FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program lets carriers submit crashes in specific eligible categories — such as being struck by a wrong-way driver or hit while legally stopped — for a preventability review through DataQs. If FMCSA rules the crash not preventable, it is excluded from the Crash Indicator BASIC calculation and noted in the carrier's record. This directly affects the crash-history score that data providers like CarrierOk compute, which is why crash counts and Crash Indicator percentiles can improve without any new inspections.
Related terms
BASIC Percentile
A 0-100 peer-relative safety score across seven FMCSA categories: Unsafe Driving, HOS, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances, Driver Fitness, Hazmat, and Crash Indicator. Higher is worse. CarrierOk computes all 7 BASICs including the two FMCSA withholds from public view.
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.
Crash Indicator BASIC
The SMS category that scores a carrier's crash history from state-reported crash data, weighted by severity and recency, over a 24-month window. FMCSA withholds it from public SMS view — CarrierOk computes it in-house and serves it via API alongside the other six BASICs.
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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