DataQs and Violations

DataQs and the DataQ system is the formal process for disputing, or questioning the data or information maintained about your tracking company by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

A DataQ or Data Query is a request to have the Federal and State data issued by FMCSA reviewed if you believe that information may be incomplete or incorrect.

Once you submit a DataQ, the DataQ system automatically forwards your Request for Data Review (RDR) to the appropriate FMCSA office or affiliate for resolution. The system allows you to track the progress of your review and collects updates and responses.

Through the FMCSA DataQ system you can:

• Request and review inspection reports
• Challenge a DOT audit or inspection report
• Correct invalid driver assignments to MC or USDOT numbers
• Dispute a citation or violation
• Resolve duplicate instances of negative reporting such as duplicate crash reports, or duplicate violations
• And more …

Many carriers, we find, incur a violation but don’t understand where these violations show nor how they may impact their trucking company. Depending on the level of the violation, this can end up having minimal impact, all the way to the carrier’s insurance dropping their coverage from one single, random inspection. Whatever the data error may be, there is a way to clean it up and improve your safety rating.

Most carriers find themselves disputing collisions that are not theirs, duplicate crashes, non-reportable crashes down to just simple violations reported to the incorrect carrier due to a misprint of the DOT number on the violation report.

While this DataQ system allows carriers to go through a process to dispute a violation if it is believed that violation is in error, this can be a daunting process. 

With a TCS Compliance Specialist, you’ll have the DataQ expertise and guidance you’ll need to ensure the best outcome.