Glossary · FMCSA & freight
Out-of-service order
Also called: OOS order, Out of service
Definition
An out-of-service order is an enforcement declaration that bars a driver, a vehicle or an entire motor carrier operation from operating until the order is lifted.
FMCSA's definition covers declarations by federal, state, Canadian, Mexican or local officers that a driver, vehicle or carrier operation is out of service. Roadside orders take a driver or truck off the road for violations. Company-level orders stop the whole operation and can follow an imminent hazard finding, failure to pay civil penalties, or operating under a new identity to evade enforcement (49 CFR 386.73). A carrier rated unsatisfactory is also prohibited from operating.
FMCSA publishes an out-of-service orders dataset on data.transportation.gov listing entities that have received an OOS order. For a factor, a carrier under an OOS order can't legally haul. Invoices for loads dated during an order raise the question of who actually moved the freight, and carriers placed out of service sometimes reappear under a new name as chameleon carriers.
The carrier check shows OOS orders alongside authority status and related entities.
Sources
- 0149 CFR 390.5T: Definitions (out-of-service order) · eCFR
- 0249 CFR 386.73: Reincarnated carriers · eCFR
- 0349 CFR 385.13: Unsatisfactory rated motor carriers · eCFR
- 0449 CFR 386.83: Failure to pay civil penalties · eCFR
- 05FMCSA Out of Service Orders · data.transportation.gov