Why did the out-of-service rate jump from 18.1% in 2025 to 32.8% in 2026?

The 32.8% figure reflects multiple factors: (1) brake failures, tire violations, and lighting defects—chronic maintenance issues—generated the majority of OOS orders despite ELD tampering being the stated focus; (2) a selection effect likely reduced the denominator of compliant trucks at weigh stations as uncertain drivers avoided inspection sites; (3) the full 72-hour blitz week enforcement window (May 12-14) plus extended DOT operations (May 10-17) increased total inspection volume to 15,952 inspections. However, even on Day 1 alone, the OOS rate was 31.4%, indicating a structural compliance gap rather than temporary enforcement variance.

How do blitz week violations affect my CSA score and insurance premiums?

Blitz week violations enter FMCSA's Safety Measurement System identically to routine roadside inspections. Violations are scored within a sliding 24-month window with recency weighting: the most recent 6 months carry highest weight, months 7-12 carry reduced weight, and months 13-24 carry the lowest weight before aging off. Out-of-service violations carry a severity multiplier of 2.0, meaning they score twice as heavily as non-OOS findings. For carriers already near the 65-80% intervention threshold in Vehicle Maintenance or Hours of Service BASICs, even two OOS violations can push scores into elevated-risk segments flagged by standard market underwriters, resulting in non-standard carrier placement or premium increases.

What does this mean for brokers and shipper carrier selection?

Following the Supreme Court's Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II ruling, brokers now face direct state-court liability for negligent carrier selection. Brokers conducting documented vetting processes increasingly cross-reference elevated BASIC percentiles against the FMCSA profile. A carrier whose Vehicle Maintenance or Hours of Service BASIC spiked after blitz week may find load tenders simply do not arrive, not because of insurance issues, but because broker vetting protocols flag them as elevated-risk. This creates a practical capacity constraint independent of insurance underwriting.

Which violations are most likely to ground my trucks?

According to the article, brake system failures, tire violations (including tread depth), and lighting defects—specifically inoperative required lights—drove the highest volume of OOS orders during the 2026 blitz. These issues often cluster together on the same vehicle. ELD tampering and cargo securement violations, the stated focus areas, did not generate disproportionate OOS orders; they simply received additional inspector scrutiny. Fleet maintenance teams should prioritize brake systems, tire condition monitoring, and lighting system audits as the primary drivers of OOS risk.

How long will blitz week violations impact my SMS score?

Violations remain in the FMCSA Safety Measurement System for 24 months with time-weighted scoring. Violations in the most recent 6 months carry the highest weight, so blitz week violations from May 2026 will carry peak point values through November 2026. After that, they transition to reduced-weight status (months 7-12) through May 2027, then minimal weight (months 13-24) through May 2028. During the first 6 months post-violation, the impact on percentile rankings and underwriting decisions is most acute.

Risk & Disruption

High Impact

2026 CVSA Blitz Shows 33% OOS Rate—What It Means for Your CSA Score

Jun 26, 2026

Get tomorrow's supply chain signal

Daily supply-chain brief. Free, unsubscribe anytime.

The signal

1%—fundamentally shifting the enforcement landscape for motor carriers across North America. This spike reflects not new violations, but structural shifts in inspection patterns and carrier behavior, with brake failures, tire defects, and lighting violations generating the majority of OOS orders, not the headline focus areas of ELD tampering and cargo securement. The immediate concern for fleet operators is that every violation enters the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Safety Measurement System identically, where time-weighted scoring over 24 months directly triggers insurance underwriting decisions and increasingly affects broker carrier selection under post-Montgomery liability standards. For supply chain professionals, the blitz week results signal a critical inflection point: CSA scores have transitioned from a pricing correlation to a binary availability determinant.

Carriers already operating near the 65–80% intervention threshold in Vehicle Maintenance or Hours of Service BASICs who received even two OOS violations during the May enforcement period now face immediate risk of non-standard market placement or broker deselection. The practical effect extends beyond insurance conversations to load tender decisions—brokers conducting documented carrier vetting per Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II standards now have regulatory and legal incentive to flag spiked BASIC percentiles, potentially removing compliant carriers from spot market access during the critical 24-month recency window. The strategic implication for shipper and freight broker operations is that carrier risk management must now incorporate real-time CSA trajectory monitoring, not annual assessments.

A single blitz week event can cascade through insurance renewal timelines, broker vetting protocols, and ultimately capacity availability. Fleet operators should immediately audit their Vehicle Maintenance BASIC standings and implement targeted compliance programs around brakes, tires, and lighting—the violation categories driving OOS orders—while brokers should re-evaluate carrier rosters to identify elevated-risk exposures before renewal or vetting audits expose gaps.

#cvsa-roadcheck

#csa-scores

#truck-safety

#regulatory-compliance

#insurance-underwriting

#vehicle-maintenance

#out-of-service-violations

#commercial-vehicle-inspection

#freight-risk-management

#broker-vetting

Frequently Asked Questions

What This Means for Your Supply Chain

Simulation Suggestion

immediate

What if your Vehicle Maintenance BASIC crosses the 80% intervention threshold due to blitz violations?

Simulate the scenario where a carrier currently at 65-70% Vehicle Maintenance BASIC receives multiple OOS violations (brake and tire defects) during a routine inspection in the current period. Calculate the resulting percentile impact assuming OOS severity multiplier of 2.0 and recency weighting over the 24-month window. Model downstream effects: (1) underwriter risk flagging and standard market availability; (2) premium increase estimates; (3) broker deselection risk under Montgomery vetting standards; (4) load tender impact on revenue.

Run this scenario

Simulation Suggestion

strategic

What if you implemented real-time CSA monitoring to prevent blitz-driven broker deselection?

Simulate proactive CSA score monitoring where your organization (shipper, broker, or 3PL) tracks carrier Vehicle Maintenance and Hours of Service BASIC percentiles weekly and flags carriers approaching 65% threshold before broker vetting audits surface them. Model the benefit case: (1) identify at-risk carriers 6+ weeks before critical broker vetting windows; (2) implement targeted compliance interventions (brake audits, tire replacement, lighting inspections); (3) calculate cost of preventive maintenance vs. cost of broker deselection or capacity loss; (4) project load stability and negotiating leverage retention.

Run this scenario

Go deeper:

Supply Chain Digital Twin: The 2026 Guide

How operators model end-to-end supply chains to see how tariffs, supplier shocks, and regulatory changes ripple across cost, service, risk, and time.

Get the daily supply chain briefing

Top stories, Pulse score, and disruption alerts. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

The signal

Frequently Asked Questions

What This Means for Your Supply Chain

Related Articles