| Term | Plain English | Español |
|---|
| Annual inspection | Required yearly inspection for each truck and trailer. | Inspección anual. |
| Automatic failure | One of 16 items that fails the audit by itself. | Falla automática. |
| C/TPA / consortium | The company that runs random drug and alcohol testing for small carriers. | Consorcio de pruebas de drogas. |
| Clearinghouse | FMCSA's database of driver drug and alcohol violations. Employers must query it. | Registro federal de violaciones de drogas y alcohol. |
| Corrective action plan (CAP) | Proof sent to FMCSA that the problems are fixed. Due in 60 days (45 for passenger or placarded hazmat carriers). | Plan de acción correctiva. |
| CSA / SMS | FMCSA's safety scores, built from inspections and crashes. | Puntajes de seguridad. |
| DataQs | Where carriers challenge a wrong inspection or crash record. | Donde se disputa un reporte incorrecto. |
| DOT | U.S. Department of Transportation. FMCSA is the part of it that regulates trucking companies. | Departamento de Transporte de EE. UU. |
| Driver qualification file | The required folder for each driver: application, driving record, medical card, and more. | Expediente del chofer. |
| DVIR | Driver vehicle inspection report: the driver's check of the truck. | Reporte de inspección del chofer. |
| ELD / logs | Electronic logging device or record of hours driven. | Registro electrónico de horas. |
| FMCSA | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: the agency that registers, audits and can shut down trucking companies. | La agencia federal que regula las compañías de transporte. |
| Form 2290 | Federal heavy vehicle use tax, due every summer. | Impuesto federal de vehículo pesado. |
| IFTA | Fuel tax return, every three months. | Declaración de impuesto de combustible. |
| Interstate | Crossing state lines, or carrying freight that is part of a trip across state lines. | Entre estados. |
| IRP | Apportioned plates for trucks that run in several states. | Placas IRP. |
| MC number / operating authority | Permission to haul other people's freight for pay across state lines. | El permiso para transportar carga ajena por pago. |
| MCS-150 | The company record update, every two years. | Actualización del registro cada 2 años. |
| Medical card | The DOT physical certificate. Lasts up to 24 months. | Certificado médico del DOT. |
| Motus | FMCSA's new online registration system (Login.gov required). | Nuevo sistema de registro de la FMCSA. |
| MVR | Motor vehicle record: the driver's driving history. | Récord de manejo. |
| New entrant | A carrier in its first 18 months. It gets a safety audit in the first 12. | Compañía nueva (primeros 18 meses). |
| New entrant safety audit | FMCSA's review of the new carrier's records. Pass or fail. | Auditoría de compañía nueva. |
| Out of service | A truck or driver not allowed to move until the problem is fixed. | Fuera de servicio. |
| Owner-operator | A driver who owns the truck and runs the company, often alone. | Dueño-operador. |
| Random testing pool | The group drivers are picked from for surprise tests. | Grupo de pruebas aleatorias. |
| Revocation | FMCSA cancels the registration. The truck can't legally run. | Revocación del registro. |
| SAFER | FMCSA's public website to look up any carrier by USDOT number. | Sitio público para buscar compañías. |
| SAP | Substance abuse professional. A driver with a violation must see one before returning to duty. | Profesional de abuso de sustancias. |
| UCR | Unified Carrier Registration, paid every year. | Registro anual UCR. |
| USDOT number | The company's federal ID. Every interstate trucking company needs one. | El número federal de la compañía. |