Read the record · Inspection table

Read inspection rates one column at a time

An out-of-service percentage needs a matching inspection count. Keep vehicle, driver and other inspection columns separate before doing any arithmetic.

Sources checked · Examples below are entirely fictional.

Three rows, three different quantities

In the U.S. inspection block, SAFER displays columns such as Vehicle, Driver and Hazmat. Use the column label exactly as shown in the record. Read these rows within that same column:

Inspections
The roadside inspection count for that column and reporting window. This is the denominator.
Out of Service
The inspection count with one or more out-of-service violations. One such inspection is not a count of all its individual violations.
Out of Service %
The share of that column’s inspections resulting in an out-of-service status. Keep numerator and denominator together.

Fictional arithmetic · No real carrier

Two columns, two denominators

These invented counts illustrate the calculation only. Both cards use the same hypothetical reporting window; they are not performance comparisons or booking recommendations.

Fictional vehicle column

Vehicle

Inspections
8
Out of Service
2

25%

2 ÷ 8 × 100 = 25%

Fictional driver column

Driver

Inspections
20
Out of Service
1

5%

1 ÷ 20 × 100 = 5%

Keep the pair intact. Dividing the vehicle count of 2 by the driver count of 20 would answer a different, unsupported question. A missing denominator or zero inspections does not support a calculated rate; preserve the source’s missing or N/A value instead.

One roadside check can appear in more than one column

SAFER notes that total inspections may be less than the sum of vehicle, driver and hazmat inspections. The columns can overlap. Do not add them and call the result a count of distinct roadside checks.

Fictional overlap illustration

One roadside check

Includes both a vehicle and a driver inspection

+1 in the Vehicle column

+1 in the Driver column

Two column entries here still describe one roadside check. This illustration is separate from the rate examples above.

Keep the context beside the percentage

  • Record the USDOT identity, source URL and date you read it.
  • Copy the reporting window and cutoff printed above that inspection block. The snapshot checked for this guide shows a 24-month window; your record’s displayed dates govern your notes.
  • Keep the geography and exact inspection column with both counts. Do not pool the U.S. and Canadian blocks.
  • Preserve unavailable values and the source’s displayed rounding. Do not manufacture a denominator or a percentage.

A percentage alone leaves out the number of inspections and their context. This page explains the arithmetic; it does not assign a safety rating, rank carriers or decide whether to book a load.

Sources and scope

Definitions: SAFER General Help, “Inspections”. Field labels and the displayed reporting window were checked against an official Company Snapshot on October 31, 2026. This guide does not reproduce a national average or an inspection-level classification. A source-check date is not a new regulatory version.