Carrier vetting guide · Updated
Out-of-Service Rates Explained: What a Carrier's OOS Rate Tells You
A carrier's out-of-service rate is the percentage of its roadside inspections that ended with a vehicle or driver ordered off the road; compare it with the national averages of 22.26% for vehicles and 6.67% for drivers, and only once the carrier has enough inspections for the rate to mean something.
How the rate is calculated
During a roadside inspection, an officer can place a vehicle or driver out of service for violations serious enough to stop the trip — bad brakes, tires or lights for vehicles, hours-of-service or licensing problems for drivers. The OOS rate divides those out-of-service inspections by total inspections over the last 24 months.
Reading a carrier's rate
- Vehicle OOS well below 22.26% suggests a maintenance program that works.
- Driver OOS well above 6.67% often points to hours-of-service or licensing problems.
- A small carrier with two or three inspections can swing from 0% to 50% on a single stop, so give little weight to rates with very few inspections.
- No inspections at all is not the same as a clean record: it may mean the company rarely runs interstate, or has only just started.
Crashes are separate
OOS rates measure condition at the roadside, not crash involvement. Review the 24-month crash count — especially crashes with injuries or fatalities — alongside the OOS rates, and scale both against the number of trucks the carrier runs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good vehicle out-of-service rate?
Anything meaningfully below the 22.26% national average, measured over a reasonable number of inspections, is a good sign.
Is an OOS rate the same as an FMCSA safety rating?
No. A safety rating (satisfactory, conditional or unsatisfactory) comes from a compliance review, which most carriers never receive. OOS rates come from routine roadside inspections.
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