PRISM, DOT numbers, and vehicle registration

Scope

The commercial vehicle registration process of the states provides the framework for the PRISM program by ensuring that all interstate carriers have a US Department of Transportation (DOT) number when they register their vehicles.

Regulatory citations

• FAST Act of 2015 — Title V—Motor Carrier Safety
• MAP-21 Act of 2012 — Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act
• SAFETEA Act of 2005 — SAFETEA—Motor Carrier Safety Reauthorization Act

Key definitions

• None

Summary of requirements

A license plate isn’t issued by the state until the carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle is identified and the safety fitness of the carrier is verified.

Carriers registering vehicles in a PRISM state are required to obtain a US DOT number and complete biennial updates to their MCS-150 information before registration will be granted.

As a member of PRISM, a state can refuse to register vehicles of an unfit carrier (as determined by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). Registration sanctions are available to the states, including denial of registration, suspension, or revocation.

How does PRISM affect registration? For many International Registration Plan (IRP) accounts, the registrant that maintains the IRP account and the carrier that is responsible for safety are the same entity. The carrier must provide updated MCS-150 information and enter their US DOT number on the vehicle registration form.

Owner/operators often register their vehicle in their own name, but lease to a motor carrier. These owner/operators must provide the US DOT number of the carrier they are leasing to and update this information with the state registration office if the US DOT number changes. If the owner/operator is not leased to a company and does not have a lessee US DOT number to provide, the owner/operator must obtain their own US DOT number as a motor carrier.

Is there enforcement? The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Process (MCSIP) is the means by which a motor carrier’s safety is systematically tracked and improved. The process is designed to improve the safety performance of motor carriers with demonstrated poor safety performance. Once the carrier exceeds the bounds of the established safety threshold, the motor carrier enters MCSIP, which provides opportunities for carriers to improve operations and return to a safe condition. MCSIP carriers that do not improve their safety performance face progressively more stringent penalties that may result in a Federal “unfit” or “imminent hazard” determination and the possible suspension of vehicle registrations by the state.