Key points
- A crash is DOT recordable if it involves a commercial motor vehicle on a highway and results in a death, an injury treated away from the scene, or a disabling tow-away (49 CFR §390.5).
- Fault doesn't matter. A truck that was rear-ended while stopped can still have a recordable crash.
- Recordable crashes go in the carrier's accident register and feed FMCSA's Crash Indicator measurement.
The three triggers
| Result | What qualifies |
|---|---|
| Fatality | Anyone dies as a result of the crash |
| Injury | A person is injured and, as a result, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene. Treatment only at the scene, or a doctor's visit days later, doesn't count. |
| Disabling damage | Any vehicle, not just the truck, is damaged so it can't leave the scene in its usual manner and has to be towed |
What "disabling damage" means
Disabling damage means damage that prevents a vehicle from leaving the scene in its usual manner, in daylight, after simple repairs. It doesn't include:
- damage that can be fixed temporarily at the scene, so the vehicle can be driven away;
- a flat or damaged tire with no other damage;
- damage only to headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals, the horn, mirrors or windshield wipers, where the vehicle could otherwise be driven;
- a vehicle that could have been driven but was towed anyway.
What's excluded
The definition doesn't cover occurrences that involve only people boarding or getting off a stationary vehicle, or only the loading or unloading of cargo.
What happens when a crash is recordable
- The carrier records it in the accident register and keeps related reports for 3 years.
- States report qualifying crashes to FMCSA, where they appear in the carrier's crash history. You can see it in the trucking company safety lookup.
- Crashes count in the carrier's Crash Indicator BASIC, weighted by severity and how recent they are.
- The carrier checks whether post-accident testing is required. That depends on whether there was a death or a citation.
Preventability reviews
FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program lets carriers request a review of certain types of crash. Examples include being struck in the rear, being hit by a driver going the wrong way, or striking an animal. Crashes found not preventable are noted in the carrier's record and excluded from the Crash Indicator calculation.