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What is PRISM?
Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) is
a cooperative Federal-State safety program developed to reduce
commercial vehicle accidents. PRISM utilizes the commercial vehicle
registration process of the States to improve motor carrier safety in
two ways:
- By determining the safety fitness of the motor carrier prior to registering a vehicle; and
- By motivating the carrier to improve its safety performance
either through an improvement process or the application of
registration sanctions.
The PRISM program encompasses two major processes, Registration and
Enforcement, which are integrated to identify motor carriers and hold
them responsible for the safety of their operations. The performance of
unsafe carriers is improved through a comprehensive system of
identification, education, data gathering, safety monitoring and
treatment.
Registration
Within the State commercial vehicle registration process, the
International Registration Plan (IRP) provides the framework for the
PRISM program by facilitating two vital functions. First, it
establishes a system of accountability by ensuring that no vehicle is
registered without identifying the responsible carrier for vehicle
safety during the registration year. Second, the use of registration
sanctions provides a powerful incentive for unsafe carriers to improve
their safety performance.
The vehicle registration process ensures that all carriers engaged in
interstate commerce are identified through a unique USDOT Number during
vehicle registration. The safety fitness of each carrier can then be
audited prior to issuing registration credentials. Those motor carriers
that have been prohibited from operating in interstate commerce by the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration may be denied registration
by the State.
Enforcement
The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Process (MCSIP) is a data-driven
process that systematically uses current safety event information such
as accidents, inspections, driver violations, compliance review data
and other information to assess and monitor motor carrier safety
performance. Safety events are assigned to the motor carrier
responsible for the safety of the vehicle and are weighted according to
severity, frequency and time since the occurrence.
MCSIP is designed to improve the safety performance of motor carriers
through accurate identification, performance monitoring and treatment.
Once the carrier exceeds the bounds of the established safety
threshold, the motor carrier enters MCSIP. MCSIP provides
opportunities for carriers to improve operations and return to a safe
condition. Within MCSIP, carriers with potential safety problems are
identified and prioritized for an on-site review using the Motor
Carrier Safety Status (SafeStat) system developed for the PRISM
program. If there is no improvement in the carrier's safety fitness
record, a Federal operations out-of-service order and concurrent State
registration suspension and/or revocation is the ultimate penalty.
How does PRISM affect roadside inspections?
Motor carriers in the PRISM MCSIP process are recommended for roadside
inspection. Once a motor carrier sufficiently improves its safety
status to exit the MCSIP, they will no longer be recommended for
inspection.
How does PRISM affect IRP registration?
As noted earlier, the IRP serves as the framework for the PRISM program
and is affected through USDOT registration and MCS-150 updates.
The motor carrier responsible for the safety of every vehicle and the
registrant must identify their USDOT Number during the registration
process.
An updated MCS-150 form must be submitted for each registrant and
carrier responsible for safety on an IRP account unless the carrier and
the registrant have each submitted a form within 12 months prior to the
first day of the renewal period, or the motor carrier and the
registrant have updated the information directly on the FMCSA web page
(http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov).
For many IRP accounts, the registrant that maintains the IRP account
and the carrier that is responsible for safety are the same entity.
Table A outlines USDOT Number and MCS-150 update requirements
associated with PRISM and IRP registration in these instances.
Table A
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IRP account registrant and motor carrier responsible for safety of the vehicles are the same entity.
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Registrant Level
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Individual
Vehicle Level
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USDOT # Requirement
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USDOT Number of the Registrant
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Same
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MCS-150 Requirement
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Updated MCS-150 for the IRP
registrant required unless one has been submitted within 12 months
prior to the first day of the renewal period.
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No Additional Requirement
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Action
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Record
the USDOT Number in Section C of the IRP Schedule A and write "same" in
the appropriate column of the individual vehicle section of Schedule A.
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In some cases, the IRP account registrant and the carrier responsible
for the safety of individual vehicles on the account may be different.
The following examples, in addition to the information in Table B,
outline USDOT Number and MCS-150 update requirements associated with
PRISM and IRP registration in common instances.
Rental/leasing companies registering in their own name
Rental/leasing companies that register in their own name must provide
the USDOT Numbers and copies of updated MCS-150 forms to the
registration office for their company and for all lessees that are
responsible for vehicle safety. The USDOT number for the rental/leasing
company should be recorded in the registrant section of the IRP
Schedule A and the USDOT Number of the motor carrier responsible for
safety should be recorded in the appropriate column of the individual
vehicle section.
Owner/operators registering in their own name, but leasing to motor carriers
Owner/operators who register in their own names must obtain a USDOT
Number for themselves. This number is for registration purposes only
and does not provide the owner/operator with his/her own operating
authority. In addition, the owner/operator must provide the USDOT
Number for the company to whom he/she leases. Updated copies of the
MCS-150 must be submitted for the owner/operator and all companies
responsible for safety (the lessees). The companies must complete the
MCS-150 forms. The owner/operator must record his/her USDOT Number in
the registrant section of the IRP Schedule A. The USDOT Number of the
motor carrier responsible for safety should be entered in the
appropriate column at the individual vehicle level of the Schedule A.
Companies using only leased vehicles registered in the name of the lessors
Companies who use all leased vehicles registered in the name of the
lessors (rental/leasing or owner/operators) must provide the lessor
with an updated copy of the MCS-150. The lessor will submit the MCS-150
to the state registration office in order to have the vehicle's
registration renewed.
Table B
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IRP
account registrant and motor carrier responsible for safety of all or
some of the vehicles at the time of registration are different
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Registrant Level
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Individual Vehicle Level
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USDOT # Requirement
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USDOT Number of the Registrant
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Two General Situations Apply:
- USDOT Number of the motor carrier responsible for safety if
known and expected to stay the same for at least 30 days from the
renewal.
- USDOT Number of the Registrant as a default if the motor
carrier responsible for safety is unknown, or expected to change within
30 days of renewal.
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MCS-150 Requirement
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Updated MCS-150 for the IRP
registrant required unless one has been submitted within 12 months
prior to the first day of the renewal period.
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An updated MCS-150 associated
with each USDOT Number on the IRP account is required unless one has
been submitted within 12 months prior to the first day of the renewal
period.
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Action
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Record
the USDOT Number in Section C of the IRP Schedule A and the USDOT
Number of the motor carrier responsible for safety in the appropriate
column of the individual vehicle section. Indicate if the lease is for
the full registration year in the appropriate column.
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PRISM BENEFITS
PRISM demonstrates the following safety, economic and productivity benefits:
Accountability is achieved by
accurately linking safety events (e.g. inspection, accident, driver
moving violations) affecting a PRISM registered vehicle to the
responsible carrier.
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PERFORMANCE-BASED APPROACH TO SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Carriers are identified, treated
and released from a safety improvement program based upon a
demonstrated improvement in highway performance after safety treatments
have been completed.
SafeStat is a data-driven,
performance-based tool used to identify potentially high-risk carriers
for inclusion in the PRISM motor carrier safety improvement process
(MCSIP). Under SafeStat, a carrier's safety performance is assessed
based on all available data from roadside inspection, compliance
reviews (CRs), accidents, enforcement history, etc. New safety
information is added to this data source on a continuous basis, and
SafeStat uses this information to provide current safety indicators
for all carriers for which there is sufficient data.
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IMPROVED MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY
The PRISM program has proven to
be an effective means of getting motor carriers to improve their
compliance and performance deficiencies. Motor carriers must improve
their safety deficiencies or face progressively more stringent
penalties up to a Federal out-of-service order and concurrent State registration sanctions.
PRISM has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal and State safety efforts through:
- A more accurate process for targeting the highest-risk
carriers, which allows for a more efficient allocation of scarce
resources for compliance reviews and roadside inspections, and
- The use of a warning letter as an effective, yet
inexpensive, alternative to a compliance review for those carriers with
less severe safety performance problems.
The PRISM program has shown that
an improvement in the accuracy and timeliness of data will result in
better resource allocation and heightened efficiencies in the
administration of major Federal and State safety data improvement
initiatives as listed below.
- A procedure for obtaining current census and operational
data on interstate motor carriers as part of the State's annual vehicle
registration renewal process.
- A procedure for using plate numbers as a means to more
effectively assign inspection and accident data to the responsible
motor carrier.
- The use of automated procedures such as bar coding, to
automatically populate critical roadside inspection fields like USDOT
Number and plate number.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
PRISM provides a "one-stop shopping" opportunity for carriers to
simultaneously obtain a USDOT Number, meet updating requirements, and
obtain their IRP license plates. Through the PRISM program, the State
registration offices issue USDOT Numbers on behalf of the Federal
government.
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