PRISM yields benefits to jurisdictions, FMCSA, and carriers, as well as to everyone that drives on the roads in the U.S. These benefits are derived from improvements in the information that can be shared and the impact it has on getting carriers to improve their systems as well as our ability to identify vehicles registered to specific carriers.
PRISM improves data sharing by providing current census information to jurisdictions. This data includes driver moving violations, which can be used by law enforcement. Improvements in the data and processes have resulted in speedy data loads and reductions in non-match rates.
PRISM is a performance-based system; at-risk carriers are identified using the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Process (MCSIP). MCSIP is a data-driven multi-step program which identifies motor carriers with a history of safety problems, places them on an improvement process and may ultimately lead to revocation of the registration of vehicles assigned to an unsafe motor carrier if safety performance fails to improve. More frequent inspections of the targeted carriers motivate those carriers to improve their processes. These carriers enter and exit the MCSIP based on their highway performance.