Motive’s goal has always been to make lives easier for commercial drivers and to help them avoid violations. We do it by creating feature-rich and easy-to-use ELD products, free e-log mobile apps, and by sharing valuable fleet data and information that can help drivers and carriers.

The United States transportation sector contributes nearly 8.6% to the country’s GDP. Considering its huge contribution, the hardworking CMV drivers and fleet managers deserve every bit of help that can assist them and ensure smooth operations.

Recently, we analyzed the data we’ve generated over the past year, and it revealed some interesting insights. We’ve now released this data to the public so more and more CMV drivers, fleet managers, and trucking company owners can use this valuable information to improve how their fleets operate.

By analyzing this data, drivers and fleet managers will be able to reduce the number of inspections they receive, the total number of violations they get, minimize penalties and fines, and improve CSA scores.

Following are the details and insights into each set of data we have released.

Level-1 inspections are more common than you think

Although there are six different levels of DOT inspections, the level-1 inspection, aka full inspection, is often considered the most thorough one.

Contrary to common belief, the level-1 inspections are very common. However, our data reveals that level-1 inspections largely depend on the type of cargo that drivers carry.

For instance, if you are a driveaway-towaway operation, you are likely to get more level-1 inspections than any other cargo type. On the other hand, vehicles with coal, coke, and livestock as cargo types get the least level-1 inspections.

Based on the fleet data we analyzed, here are the top five categories with the highest number of level-1 inspections.

Other than these top five categories, the following list shows the rest of the cargo types and their shares of level-1 inspections.

Strictness and violations vary in different states

When we talk about roadside inspections and violations, we don’t consider the fact that different states may have varying levels of strictness.

Based on our findings, we found that’s exactly the case.

HOS violations aren’t uniform throughout the United States of America. States such as Connecticut, Idaho, and Louisiana get the most HOS violations.

On the other hand, the least number of HOS violations were recorded in Mississippi, South Dakota, and Massachusetts.

The following heatmap shows you the complete picture and proves our point of how violations and strictness vary from state to state.

Commercial drivers who drive in multiple states will find this fleet data extremely useful. They can make sure that everything is in perfect condition, so they can stay away from violations and successfully pass roadside inspections with ease.

When it comes to avoiding violations, it helps when you know where to look. We analyzed our fleet data to find out the most common violation types so that commercial drivers can steer away from that.

Based on our analysis, we found out that most violations are vehicle-related. Following are the details of the top 5 most common violations that Motive recorded in 2016.

More than 50% inspections happen within a 6-hour window

We also analyzed how the volume of roadside inspections varies at different times of the day. We found out that more than 50% of roadside inspections happen within a 6-hour window. That’s usually the peak time.

Following is a sample data from different locations in Kansas. As you can see, in each location more than 50% of inspections happen within a 6-hour window. This fleet data should prove extremely useful when drivers and fleet managers are planning trips.

Ace inspections and minimize violations with Motive

Roadside inspections and violations can be inconvenient for commercial drivers. However, we believe that with proper planning and management, fleets can minimize them as much as possible.

By using the information presented in these infographics, commercial drivers and fleet managers should be able to plan their trips in a much better way. Additionally, with information about the most common violations, you know where to look when preparing for a violation-free trip.

Motive’s ELDs provide all this data and more to its users for better fleet management. With the right set of data, you can streamline your fleet’s operations, reduce violations, minimize penalties, improve CSA scores, and acquire more business.

Request a free demo now to see how the Motive ELD solution can help your fleet. If you have any other questions, please reach out to our friendly customer support.