BOSTON — One in four of the more than 3,700 commercial motorcoach and passenger van companies regulated by the federal government has never received a full safety evaluation, with nearly half not being reviewed in more than two years, according to a Boston Globe investigation.

The analysis also found more than 500 interstate carriers on the road today exceed the acceptable threshold of violations in at least one of five public safety categories established by federal regulators.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials said new companies and those with clean safety records account for some of the companies that have never had a full compliance review, and noted that more than half have undergone a new-entrant safety audit. For the full story, click here.