RoadsideProof
Check your DOT

Guide

What a Request for Data Review can and cannot fix

RoadsideProof uses the Inspection categories and the citation-outcome summary below. These are category labels and rules applied to documents, not a promise about a particular request.

On this page

The Inspection categories

RoadsideProof uses these shorter product labels for a subset of Inspection requests. They are not the official DataQs menu labels or every type available in DataQs.

  • Inspection does not belong to this carrier
  • Incorrect driver information
  • Inspection is missing from the records
  • Duplicate inspection
  • Report data differs from the paper copy
  • Violation recorded incorrectly, duplicated, or missing IEP/shipper information
  • Citation tied to the violation — court outcome to be recorded

Match your situation to an official request type

Official names below follow FMCSA's RDR Request Type Definitions, March 2025, p. 2. Use the situation and evidence in the linked guide to choose; the product's paper-copy label maps to the general incorrect-information type.

Inspection does not belong to this carrier

Inspection—Not mine (assigned to wrong motor carrier)

An inspection on the wrong carrier's record: what DataQs reviews
Incorrect driver information

Inspection—Not mine (assigned to wrong driver)

An inspection on the wrong driver: what DataQs reviews
Inspection is missing from the records

Inspection—Missing from carrier or driver report

How to file a DataQs Request for Data Review
Duplicate inspection

Inspection—Duplicate (same inspection listed multiple times)

The same inspection listed twice: what DataQs reviews
Report data differs from the paper copy

Inspection—Inspection report contains incorrect information/other

Wrong VIN, plate or other details on an inspection report: what DataQs reviews
Violation recorded incorrectly, duplicated, or missing IEP/shipper information

Inspection—Violation is incorrect, listed multiple times, or missing IEP/shipper information

A violation recorded incorrectly on an inspection: what DataQs reviews
Citation tied to the violation — court outcome to be recorded

Inspection—Citation with Associated Violation

A citation from an inspection: what the DataQs request needs, and what happens while the case is open

The official Inspection group also includes requesting a lost or never-received report. Other groups include Crash, DOT Audit/Investigation, Registration/Insurance, HHG Complaints, Clearinghouse and Other. This product list does not cover them.

What the court outcome does to the record

This table summarizes FMCSA's adjudicated-citation policy; it is not a verbatim official table or a reading of your case. It describes record treatment after agency review, not an automatic change or advice on court strategy.

The requestor submits verifiable certified court disposition documents, or a direct link to official court results, through DataQs. The State verifies the documents and records the outcome. The descriptions below are an editorial summary.

Not guilty

Policy: remove from SMS and PSP

After verification, the policy excludes the associated violation from SMS and PSP; MCMIS retains the annotated record.

Dismissed without fine or punitive court costs

Policy: remove from SMS and PSP

Payment alone does not determine the outcome. FMCSA excludes incidental expenses imposed regardless of outcome, such as scheduling fees, certified-copy charges, and attorney fees, from its conviction definition (79 FR 32495; Analyst Guide §5.4).

Convicted of a different or lesser charge

SMS severity 1; no OOS addition

The inspection is annotated for conviction of a different charge in SMS and PSP. In SMS, severity becomes 1 with no additional OOS weight (79 FR 32495; SMS Methodology p. 3-15, note 19).

Dismissed with fine or punitive court costs

Violation retained in SMS and PSP

The outcome is recorded as a conviction in MCMIS. Incidental expenses excluded by FMCSA are not punitive court costs.

Diversion program costs or fees

Conviction treatment under the policy

The Analyst Guide treats costs or fees imposed for a diversion program as court costs qualifying as a conviction (§5.4, p. 40). A diversion or deferred-adjudication label alone does not establish a final disposition; a pending case and a documented final outcome must be distinguished.

Convicted of the original charge

Violation retained in SMS and PSP

The violation remains in SMS and PSP under the adjudicated-citation policy. That conviction alone is not a basis for exclusion under this policy; a separate error in the inspection record requires its own supporting evidence (Analyst Guide §§5.6, 5.9).

Pending or held in abeyance without fines or court costs

No final disposition yet

A case held in abeyance without payment of fines or court costs is not fully adjudicated. The analyst does not change the citation adjudication record until sufficient documentation confirms the final disposition (Analyst Guide §5.6, p. 42).

Insufficient disposition documents

Outcome unknown

For an adjudicated-citation request, without sufficient verifiable disposition documents, the court outcome remains unknown. A missing document is not evidence of a conviction, dismissal, or not-guilty finding (Analyst Guide §§5.5–5.6).

These effects concern SMS and PSP. MCMIS retains the underlying violation record with its adjudication annotation; only violations determined to have been recorded in error are removed from MCMIS.

What the product checks

The product checks document completeness for its supported Inspection categories. Its upload requirements are separate from the evidence the agency needs to decide an RDR. A record-error request does not require a court disposition merely because it is an RDR.

How to read a citation is for the carrier or their attorney. The product applies the table as written and does not predict an agency decision.

Sources and factual review

Editorial source check: .

Document dates and data snapshot dates are separate from this editorial review. This review does not validate production calculations, document processing or storage controls.

More in Court outcomes

See what it did to your score

Live lookup in the app for the USDOT you enter. Illustrative examples are separate from your results.

Unsafe Driving, HM Compliance and Crash Indicator are not included in this lookup.

What this lookup supports

What this lookup supports

Vehicle Maintenance

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: When data and checks allow

Weighted numerator contribution: When data and checks allow

BASIC measure: When data and checks allow

Estimated position and range: When data and checks allow

Hours-of-Service Compliance

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: When data and checks allow

Weighted numerator contribution: When data and checks allow

BASIC measure: When data and checks allow

Estimated position and range: When data and checks allow

Controlled Substances/Alcohol

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: When data and checks allow

Weighted numerator contribution: When data and checks allow

BASIC measure: When data and checks allow

Estimated position and range: When data and checks allow

Driver Fitness

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: When data and checks allow

Weighted numerator contribution: When data and checks allow

BASIC measure: When data and checks allow

Estimated position and range: When data and checks allow

Unsafe Driving

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: Not offered

Weighted numerator contribution: Internal calculation only; not in lookup

BASIC measure: Not offered

Estimated position and range: Not offered

HM Compliance

Reference codes: Available

Listed violations: Not offered

Weighted numerator contribution: Not offered

BASIC measure: Not offered

Estimated position and range: Not offered

Crash Indicator

Reference codes: Not offered

Listed violations: Not offered

Weighted numerator contribution: Not offered

BASIC measure: Not offered

Estimated position and range: Not offered

The four supported BASICs require readable snapshot data and a computed measure to list violations or open a report. Estimated positions also require sufficient carrier data and passed publication checks; calibration failure can withhold a position or retain a dated previous estimate. Controlled Substances/Alcohol is subject to these checks too. Missing carrier data, no relevant inspections, no applicable violations and an unavailable calculation are different states. An unavailable result is not a zero or a claim that there are no violations. HM Compliance and Crash Indicator have no report calculation in this product.

Unsafe Driving’s SMS denominator is average power units × utilization factor, which depends on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and carrier segment (Equation 3–1). Our product lacks the historical power-unit inputs needed to reconstruct and validate that full calculation. It calculates numerator points internally only; Unsafe Driving records, measure and estimated position are not offered in this lookup.

Severity weight is an input. Weighted numerator contribution accounts for time weighting and the inspection cap. The marginal change in a named BASIC measure also depends on its denominator. An estimated percentile compares carriers within a safety event group and must be read with its range. Do not add points across BASICs. SMS calculations are separate from an official safety rating. This is our estimate from public FMCSA data, not an official FMCSA percentile.

FMCSA SMS Methodology v3.21, Chapter 3 Safety rating: 49 CFR 385.3