What are the criteria for which carriers are considered passenger carriers in the Safety Measurement System (SMS)?

The SMS classifies carriers as “passenger carriers” based on the following criteria:

• Add all for-hire carriers with 9- to 15-passenger-capacity vehicles and private carriers with 16-plus-passenger-capacity vehicles, as these firms are under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) authority.
• Remove all carriers with only 1- to 8-passenger-capacity vehicles and private carriers with 1- to 15-passenger-capacity vehicles (effectively removing many limousines, vans, taxis, etc.), as these firms are generally outside most of FMCSA’s authority.
• Remove carriers where less than 2 percent of their respective fleets are passenger vehicles.