• A filer of a RDR will write a short narrative explaining the challenge and will have the opportunity to upload supporting documents.
• Challenges to data provided by state agencies must be forwarded by the FMCSA to the appropriate state motor carrier safety office for investigation and decision.
• The decision of the state agency is the final resolution of the challenge; the FMCSA cannot change state records without state consent.

DataQs can be accessed directly at https://dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov or from any of the BASIC pages in the CSA. At the DataQs website, a driver, carrier, or other interested party can sign up as a user. If signed up as a “carrier user,” extra functionality is provided. To sign up as a carrier user, the carrier will need its DOT number and the PIN assigned to it (this is provided by FMCSA). The process of signing up to be a user takes around 20 minutes.

Filing process

Once signed up as a DataQs user, the process of filing Request for Data Review (RDR) (challenges) begins. The website itself will guide an RDR filer through the online challenge process. To begin with, the system will ask what type of challenge the filer wants to file, what data is being challenged, and the details related to the event in question. As part of the process, the filer will be asked to write a short narrative explaining the challenge and will have the opportunity to upload supporting documents, such as the inspection report or crash report.

State agency investigation and decision

Even though the challenge is filed with the FMCSA, any challenges to data provided by state agencies must be resolved by the appropriate state agency. After the challenge is filed, the FMCSA automatically forwards it to the correct state motor carrier safety office. The state office will investigate based on the filer’s statement and supporting documents, a review of the documents the state has on file related to the event, and a discussion with the officer involved.

This investigator will then decide on the challenge. This may take some time because the state office involved needs to locate and review all documentation and contact the state or local law enforcement agency that initially supplied the data. Generally, a filer should hear back within 14 days, even if all is heard is, “This may take a little while.”

State decision is final

If the carrier does not agree with the state’s decision, the challenge can be resubmitted. However, states will only entertain challenges to the initial decision if additional information is provided. FMCSA considers the state’s decision as the final resolution of the challenge. FMCSA cannot change state records without state consent. In other words, FMCSA does review all challenges, but does not change the data or challenge outcomes provided by states.