Improving commercial vehicle safety requires understanding where risks arise and how they vary across the transportation landscape. Our recent analysis focuses on unsafe driving violations, breaking them down by state and fleet size, using a monthly frequency rate: the number of violations per fleet category divided by the number of vehicles in that group, expressed as a percentage.

Presented visually through a heatmap, this data brings clarity to regional trends and highlights differences among small, medium, and large fleets. The insights from this analysis offer both industry and regulators a roadmap for more targeted safety strategies.

What the Heatmap Reveals

The heatmap displays monthly violation frequency percentages across three fleet sizes:

• Small Fleets (1–10 vehicles)

• Medium Fleets (11–100 vehicles)

• Large Fleets (100+ vehicles)

• A Total column showing the aggregated frequency per state

Color intensity reflects risk: deeper reds indicate higher percentages of unsafe driving violations relative to fleet size. All values represent monthly rates, making it easier to compare and monitor safety performance over time.

Small Fleets Show Significantly Higher Monthly Violation Rates

One of the clearest takeaways is that small fleets consistently record higher monthly violation percentages than larger fleets. In Massachusetts, the small fleet category has a monthly violation frequency of 35.56%, meaning that, on average, more than one in three small fleet vehicles receives a violation in any given month. Connecticut (34.55%), New Jersey (33.94%), and Rhode Island (33.37%) follow closely behind.

These elevated percentages suggest that small operators may face challenges in:

• Maintaining regular safety audits

• Investing in advanced monitoring tools

• Providing ongoing driver training

The high violation rates are a call to action for both regulators and industry support groups to better engage with these smaller fleets, particularly in high-frequency states.

Large Fleets Excel, but Must Remain Vigilant

In contrast, large fleets (100+ vehicles) typically show monthly violation frequencies under 10%. For instance:

• New Jersey records just 5.58%

• Massachusetts, 7.10%

• California, 9.53%

These lower rates reflect the benefits of robust safety programs, including:

• Telematics systems that alert managers to unsafe behavior

• Formalized training protocols

• Incentive structures for safe driving

Still, even at lower percentages, the impact of violations is magnified by fleet size. A 5% violation rate in a fleet of 1,000 trucks equates to 50 violations monthly — a figure with real consequences for safety ratings and insurance costs.

Regional Trends and Considerations

Notably, Northeastern states dominate the top of the heatmap. In addition to the high-performing small fleets mentioned above, these states also show elevated total monthly violation rates:

• Connecticut: 25.01%

• California: 22.87%

• Massachusetts: 22.64%

• Rhode Island: 22.14%

These rates suggest that dense traffic environments, frequent urban deliveries, and stricter enforcement may all contribute to higher observed violations. Conversely, states with lower totals — such as Arkansas or Arizona — may benefit from more rural driving patterns or less aggressive enforcement.

Recommendations Based on the Data

To move the needle on unsafe driving, the following actions are recommended:

1. Outreach to Small Fleets: Educational campaigns, grants for telematics adoption, or simplified compliance tools can help bridge the safety gap for small operators.

2. Incentives for Safe Operations: Insurance discounts or federal tax benefits could encourage fleets to reduce their violation rates through proactive monitoring.

3. Enforcement Strategy Alignment: States with unusually high or low violation frequencies should evaluate their enforcement practices and consider cross-state collaboration.

4. Monthly Benchmark Reports: Providing fleets with monthly benchmarks by fleet size and state can promote transparency and self-regulation.

Conclusion

This heatmap transforms raw numbers into clear visual insight, revealing how unsafe driving behaviors vary across fleet sizes and geographies. The use of monthly percentage-based frequencies makes trends easy to spot and compare. While large fleets are generally safer, small fleets face a steep hill — especially in the Northeast.

Data-driven decision-making can help level the playing field. Whether you’re a fleet manager, a safety auditor, or a policymaker, these insights offer a compelling argument for targeted, scalable interventions to reduce risk on our roads.