The Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) program was developed to meet the challenge of reducing the number of commercial vehicle crashes of a rapidly expanding interstate carrier population. It has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal and State safety efforts through a more accurate process for targeting the highest-risk carriers, which allows for a more efficient allocation of scarce resources for compliance reviews and roadside inspections. The PRISM program requires that motor carriers improve their identified safety deficiencies or face progressively more stringent sanctions up to the ultimate sanction of a Federal Out-of-Service order and concurrent State registration suspensions. The PRISM program has proven to be an effective means of motivating motor carriers to improve their compliance and performance deficiencies.

PRISM originated as a pilot project mandated by Congress in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the State of Iowa developed the pilot project. In addition to Iowa, the States of Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, and Oregon participated in the pilot, which ended in 1997. The pilot demonstrated that State commercial vehicle registration sanctions could be a powerful enforcement tool in Federal and State motor carrier safety improvement efforts. Congress authorized funding through the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to expand PRISM nationally. PRISM program funding for fiscal years 2006-2009, is authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy of Users (Public Law 109-59, Sections 4101 (c)(3) and 4109), 49 U.S.C. 31106 and 31109, as amended.