How useful are company FMCSA scores?

So we had another recruiter come and pitch to our CDL class today. Something interesting this particular recruiter said though was that he recommends new drivers go to the FMCSA web site and look at the safety and inspection scores for companies you're potentially considering. I'd seen this "FMSCA" term batted about a bit on here but never paid that much attention to it until today b/c I didn't really know what it was or how it could be useful.

I've been trying to do my diligence and research on potential companies so I went and looked up a few that I'm considering. The ones I looked up all had pretty good scores but I'm not sure if that's b/c I've spent a few months narrowing down my choices w/ a lot of research or perhaps these scores really don't mean very much? So that's what I'm wondering, how accurate / useful are a companies FMCSA scores for a potential driver and in particular a brand new driver?

 

I think it can be a useful tool. I like to look at the OOS rate to try to get a general idea of the equipment and how they take care of it. Granted OOS can be for driver problems too but generally speaking I think most come from equipment problems. Accident data I kinda take with a grain of salt because I think most companies have their fare share of good and bad drivers so that is up to the individual driver (you) to be safe.

 

i'd only be interested in if the Feds suspended the company.......then i'd have never applied

but this is all "new" to me, (this crap ain't been around since i started, 48 years ago) and back in my days, if you wanted another job, you up and left and was working that same day someplace else. job hopping was the normal thing to do. going back to an employer was never a good idea.

accident rates, i cannot say. i was told, hook, nurse or hearse, they get reported.

so fender benders in a company or customer yard does not count.

i say that frankly i'd not pay too much attention to anything on any website

you can go to the best of the best, and the next few weeks, they have a slew of accidents, deaths, OOS violations, and lawsuits...especially if they hire a higher percentage of newbie drivers, over experienced drivers..what then.>???

you roll the dice, apply,. go to work.

all this checking out a potential employer, and everyone takes a chance at a "significant other" and get reamed in divorce court.....why not do as much a background check on a potential mate...???

i dunno.

 

I agree with Buddy157, in my day we aint got any of what we talk about today. PSP, CSA, OOS Rates for what violations such as brakes out of adjustment etc even fines imposed against bad companies by state in the past etc. (There is alot)

Recruiters is some of the most cunning dangerous snakes in the grass. Their job is to dazzle you and sweep you off your feet to go get married in Vegas against the advice of the old wise ones who mutter you are doing a foolish thing....

 

The really good companies don't send recruiters to the schools. They don't need to.

 

My dad always told me that you want a job at the place that is never hiring, keep knocking on their door.

 

All they tell you was how many reported accidents a company had but there's a disclaimer on the page that even says that they don't parse out "At fault". So you have no idea how often the accidents may have been the other vehicles fault? To me that's not that useful. I'd agree on the OOS though, if there's an excessive number it could be an indication of the maintenance program.

 

Eh, the way I see it google is free and while you'll typically only see reviews on the jobs sites by people who felt strongly about a company one way or the other, searching around to places like this forum can help you find out about endemic issues a certain company or even an entire industry might have.

I'd agree that recruiters are just sales people concerned mostly w/ their "butts in seats" numbers but they can be useful for some basic info like company name, location, general pay structure ( you need to be able to parse out the bs and get to the bottom line ), who provides your benefits and what kind of freight they haul and where?

These are the typical questions I go into each recruiter session with and I can usually get those answers in the first 5 -10 minutes. Everything else is fluff but I've gotten a rep in my class for taking copious notes b/c I always go home and cross check everything we were told. I'm always kind of surprised everyone isn't doing this but a lot of my classmates have come back to me later and said, "Hey what did that guy from Schneider or TMC say they paid?" I can usually tell them and then add some "real world" info I found out later like what most drivers are getting for average miles w/ certain companies and how that's translating into real world pay. I guess it may be b/c I'm a little older ( 49 y.o. ) and this is a legit second career move fro me so I can't afford a "hit-or-miss" kind of thing.

. . . also my wife and I dated / were engaged for five years before getting married. We kinda knew we would after two years but neither of us was really ready. We've been married for 12 years now so it seems to be working out so far.

 

Most volume sales folks are like this, you just gotta know how to get the important info out of them and then supplement it w/ your own research. I always say a car salesperson has NEVER told me anything about a car I was going to buy that I didn't already know.