Short answer
An out-of-service (OOS) rate is the percentage of your roadside inspections that ended with a driver, vehicle or hazmat out-of-service order over the last 24 months. FMCSA shows it separately for vehicles, drivers and hazmat on your SAFER Company Snapshot, next to the national average.
- As of September 25, 2026, FMCSA’s published national averages were 22.26% for vehicle inspections, 6.67% for driver inspections and 4.44% for hazmat inspections.
- Underwriters and brokers compare your rates with those averages, and a new entrant with a 50% or higher driver or vehicle OOS rate on at least three inspections in 90 days can face an expedited FMCSA safety audit.
How the rate is calculated
An inspector who finds a violation listed in the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria places the driver or vehicle out of service until the problem is fixed. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) publishes those criteria and describes them as the "pass-fail criteria for inspections."
Your OOS rate for each type is:
OOS rate = inspections with an out-of-service order ÷ inspections of that type, over the most recent 24 months.
A vehicle OOS rate of 30% means three of every ten vehicle inspections ended with a truck parked. The SAFER snapshot shows the counts and the rate for vehicle, driver, hazmat and intermodal equipment inspections.
The national averages
FMCSA prints the national average beside every carrier's rate on the SAFER Company Snapshot. The figures below are FMCSA's own, calculated from the most recent 24 months of inspection data per the monthly SAFER update.
| Inspection type | National average OOS rate |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | 22.26% |
| Driver | 6.67% |
| Hazmat | 4.44% |
These numbers change monthly
FMCSA recalculates the national averages with each monthly SAFER update. Check the current figure on any SAFER Company Snapshot before quoting it.
Why it matters for insurance and freight
- Underwriting. A vehicle OOS rate well above the national average tells an underwriter that maintenance is not keeping up. A high driver OOS rate points to hours, licensing or qualification problems. Either can mean surcharges or a decline.
- SMS. Out-of-service violations carry an extra severity weight of 2 in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System, so they push your BASIC percentiles up faster. See how CSA scores affect truck insurance.
- New entrants. Under 49 CFR 385.308, a new entrant with a driver or vehicle OOS rate of 50% or more based on at least three inspections in a consecutive 90-day period may be subject to an expedited safety audit or compliance review. See new authority truck insurance.
- Brokers. Many brokers look at the snapshot during onboarding.
Small numbers swing hard
With few inspections, one bad stop moves the rate a lot. A carrier with four vehicle inspections and one OOS shows 25%, already above the national average. More clean inspections bring it down. That is one reason good fleets do not avoid inspections, and why a clean Level 1 inspection is worth something. You can look up any carrier's snapshot with our DOT lookup tool.
Common questions
Is a 0% OOS rate good?
It is, if you have enough inspections for it to mean something. Zero out of two inspections tells an underwriter little.
How long does an OOS inspection affect my rate?
The SAFER rate uses the most recent 24 months of inspection data, so an inspection drops out after two years.
Can I challenge an out-of-service order on my record?
You can request a data review through FMCSA’s DataQs system if the inspection record is wrong.
Sources
- FMCSA SAFER, Company Snapshot. National average OOS rates as of 09/25/2026 (vehicle 22.26%, driver 6.67%, hazmat 4.44%), 24-month basis.
- CVSA, North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. What puts a driver or vehicle out of service.
- 49 CFR 385.308, Expedited safety audits of new entrants (eCFR). 50% OOS rate on at least three inspections within 90 days as an expedited audit trigger.
- FMCSA, SMS Methodology (version 3.21, June 2026). Additional severity weight of 2 for OOS violations.
This page explains insurance, not law. Have your attorney review indemnity and contract language; our job is making the insurance match it.
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