EDITORS AND CORRESPONDENTS

Motor carrier safety ratings and other safety data are now available on the Internet at http://www.safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Motor Carriers has provided carrier safety information to the public and the industry for many years via telephone and on paper. This service remains available by calling (703) 280- 4001.

Now, a system called SAFER -- for Safety and Fitness Electronic Records -- makes this public safety information available electronically on the Internet. It provides a carrier "snapshot," a concise electronic record of its identification, size, commodities and safety record, including Federal safety rating if any, roadside inspection out-of-service information, and accidents reported to the agency.

No user registration or payment is required for this basic Internet access. More extensive subscription services and full carrier profiles will be available to registered users for a fee at a later date. At present, the system contains only interstate carrier data, but plans are to expand it to intrastate carriers. It is updated weekly.

Persons wanting more information or interested in becoming a registered paid user of the future extended services when available should send their name and address to SAFER Deployment Coordinator (SAIC), 1900 North Beauregard Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, Virginia 22311-1181.

Sincerely yours,

George L. Reagle
Associate Administrator for Motor Carriers