The Customer Access and Retrieval System, commonly known as CARS, is mostly used in the Western United States. The system stores bill and credit information, equipment information, carrier billing information, customer contact notes and payment history. The CARS interface is quite similar to the BOSS[clarification needed] interface.
User IDs are six characters and normally begin with a 'B' for business. Passwords (usually referred to as lockwords in the western United States) are from four to either characters and must contain at least one alpha and one numeric character. Passwords expire after 30 days. The system also asks for a Project Code (use 'M'), a Group Code (use 'G') and a Position Number. The Position Number consists of a pair of two character fields. The first two characters are the office code and the second two characters identify the individual employee.
Telephone Company Customer Applications