{
  "slug": "texas-motor-carrier-safety-profile",
  "title": "Texas Motor Carrier Safety Profile, 2026",
  "url": "https://fleetregulators.com/research/texas-motor-carrier-safety-profile",
  "published": "2026-11-06",
  "snapshot": "FMCSA SMS monthly data run published 2026-10-13; inspections 2024-09-25 to 2026-09-24",
  "data_basis": "FMCSA SMS Input files (Motor Carrier Census, Inspection, Violation) and the FMCSA Company Census File, via data.transportation.gov",
  "headline": {
    "texas_interstate_carriers": 53222,
    "us_interstate_carriers": 656834,
    "texas_rank": 2,
    "texas_inspections": 483296,
    "us_inspections": 4524778,
    "texas_inspected_carriers": 30237,
    "us_inspected_carriers": 347828,
    "texas_violations": 669918,
    "us_violations": 4407951,
    "texas_oos": {
      "driver_inspections": 479516,
      "driver_oos_inspections": 35381,
      "driver_oos_rate": 7.4,
      "vehicle_inspections": 359531,
      "vehicle_oos_inspections": 84593,
      "vehicle_oos_rate": 23.5
    },
    "us_oos": {
      "driver_inspections": 4427722,
      "driver_oos_inspections": 258256,
      "driver_oos_rate": 5.8,
      "vehicle_inspections": 2773820,
      "vehicle_oos_inspections": 596673,
      "vehicle_oos_rate": 21.5
    },
    "regions": {
      "Dallas-Fort Worth core counties": {
        "carriers": 13778,
        "small_carriers": 11923,
        "driver_inspections": 120361,
        "driver_oos_inspections": 7688,
        "driver_oos_rate": 6.4,
        "vehicle_inspections": 79314,
        "vehicle_oos_inspections": 18442,
        "vehicle_oos_rate": 23.3
      },
      "Houston core counties": {
        "carriers": 13492,
        "small_carriers": 11857,
        "driver_inspections": 91544,
        "driver_oos_inspections": 8197,
        "driver_oos_rate": 9.0,
        "vehicle_inspections": 70875,
        "vehicle_oos_inspections": 19025,
        "vehicle_oos_rate": 26.8
      }
    },
    "texas_carriers_without_company_census_county": 136,
    "company_census_active_interstate_texas": 57070
  },
  "findings": [
    {
      "id": "finding-carrier-count",
      "value": 53222,
      "text": "53,222 active interstate motor carriers in FMCSA's October 2026 SMS census list a Texas physical address, 8.1% of 656,834 interstate carriers with a U.S. address. Texas ranks No. 2 among the states and D.C. by this count."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-small-fleets",
      "value": 86.8,
      "text": "86.8% of Texas interstate carriers report 1 to 10 power units (46,212 carriers), compared with 87.4% nationally. 53.2% report exactly one power unit."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-inspections",
      "value": 483296,
      "text": "Between 2024-09-25 and 2026-09-24, roadside inspections of Texas-based interstate carriers totaled 483,296, covering 30,237 distinct carriers (56.8% of Texas interstate carriers). 46.0% of those inspections took place in Texas."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-oos-rates",
      "value": 7.4,
      "text": "Texas-based carriers' driver out-of-service rate was 7.4% of driver inspections, higher than the national 5.8%. Their vehicle out-of-service rate was 23.5%, higher than the national 21.5%."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-basic-mix",
      "value": 77.1,
      "text": "Vehicle Maintenance accounts for 77.1% of the 669,918 SMS violations recorded against Texas-based carriers. Hours-of-Service Compliance accounts for 12.2%, about the same as its national share of 12.9%."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-top-violation",
      "value": 38127,
      "text": "The most frequently recorded violation code for Texas-based carriers is 3939 (Inoperable Required Lamp), with 38,127 violations, 5.7% of all their recorded violations."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-fleet-size-oos",
      "value": 29.7,
      "text": "Among Texas carriers with 2 to 10 power units, the vehicle out-of-service rate was 29.7% and the driver out-of-service rate was 11.4%. For Texas carriers with 151 or more power units the rates were 15.8% and 2.8%."
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-regions",
      "value": 13778,
      "text": "Carriers with a physical address in the Dallas-Fort Worth core counties number 13,778 (25.9% of Texas interstate carriers); the Houston core counties have 13,492 (25.4%). Vehicle out-of-service rates were 23.3% for DFW-based carriers and 26.8% for Houston-based carriers."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Fleet Regulators. \"Texas Motor Carrier Safety Profile, 2026.\" Published November 2026. Analysis of FMCSA SMS data (2026-10-13 run). https://fleetregulators.com/research/texas-motor-carrier-safety-profile",
  "modified": "2026-11-06"
}