CSA Scores Explained: How FMCSA Measures Motor Carrier Safety

CSA scores describe how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) evaluates motor carrier safety performance through its Safety Measurement System (SMS). Rather than one overall score, FMCSA uses safety categories called BASICs, with percentiles assigned when sufficient data exist. Lower percentiles generally indicate better relative performance. Carriers can check their SMS data and address safety problems.

For trucking companies, these results can point to problems involving drivers, vehicles, inspections, or crashes.

But what does a high CSA score actually mean? And how can you improve it?

This guide explains how CSA scores work, what the numbers mean, where to find your company's safety information, and how to address problems before they happen again.

What Are CSA Scores?

CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability. It is an FMCSA program designed to help identify motor carriers that may need more safety oversight.

FMCSA uses its Safety Measurement System to review information from roadside inspections, state-reported crashes, and certain investigation findings.

The system groups safety information into seven categories called BASICs.

Although people often use the term CSA score, FMCSA does not assign one official overall CSA score to every trucking company.

Instead, SMS calculates separate safety measures and, when enough information exists, percentiles for individual BASIC categories.

These results help FMCSA decide which carriers may need additional attention.

For example, repeated unsafe driving violations could lead to closer monitoring or an investigation.

For owner-operators running under their own authority, understanding applicable FMCSA requirements is just as important as monitoring CSA scores. Driver qualifications, vehicle maintenance, and required records all play a part in managing safety and compliance.

Are CSA Scores the Same as DOT Safety Ratings?

No. CSA scores and DOT safety ratings are different.

SMS results help FMCSA decide which carriers to review.

Formal DOT safety ratings are determined through a separate process under 49 CFR Part 385.

A carrier may have a high BASIC percentile without receiving an Unsatisfactory safety rating.

A high percentile alone does not automatically mean the company must stop operating.

What Are the Seven CSA BASIC Categories?

FMCSA uses seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, known as BASICs, to organize motor carrier safety information.

Each BASIC focuses on a different safety concern.

Infographic showing the seven CSA BASIC categories, including unsafe driving, hours of service, driver fitness, controlled substances and alcohol, vehicle maintenance, hazardous materials compliance, and crash indicator.

For example, a trucking company with repeated brake defects may have concerns in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC.

A company whose drivers repeatedly exceed driving limits may have concerns in Hours-of-Service Compliance.

A carrier can have problems in more than one BASIC at the same time.

Not every BASIC percentile is publicly displayed. FMCSA restricts some information, including Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance percentiles.

Authorized motor carriers can access more complete information about their own safety performance.

How Are CSA Scores Calculated?

CSA scores are not calculated by simply adding up violation points.

FMCSA uses a method that considers several factors.

• Violation severity: Some violations carry more weight because they are more closely related to safety risks.

• Time weighting: Recent violations generally have more influence than older violations.

• Safety events: Relevant roadside inspections and qualifying crashes contribute to the calculations.

• Exposure: FMCSA accounts for factors such as inspection activity or carrier operations, depending on the BASIC.

• Carrier comparisons: SMS compares carriers with others in similar safety event groups.

FMCSA generally considers the previous 24 months of roadside inspection and crash data. Certain serious violations found during investigations in the previous 12 months may also affect a carrier's intervention status.

The official SMS methodology explains these calculations in detail.

FMCSA has also announced methodology changes. Carriers should check the current SMS methodology before relying on a particular calculation or threshold.

How to Interpret an SMS Percentile

An SMS percentile shows how a carrier compares with others in a similar safety event group.

A lower percentile generally means better relative performance.

Consider two hypothetical carriers in the same BASIC and comparable group.

Carrier A has a percentile of 25.

Carrier B has a percentile of 85.

Carrier B has a worse relative safety measure in that category.

However, an 85th percentile does not mean the carrier has 85 violations or an 85% chance of having a crash.

Managers should review the violations and safety events behind a percentile before deciding what needs attention.

What Is a Good or Bad CSA Score?

There is no single good or bad CSA score that applies to every trucking company.

Lower SMS percentiles generally indicate better relative performance, but FMCSA uses different intervention thresholds based on the BASIC and carrier type.

The following table shows the published thresholds under the SMS methodology used for this article.

Source: FMCSA SMS Methodology, Intervention Thresholds.

For example, a general property carrier with a 70th percentile in Unsafe Driving is above that BASIC's 65th-percentile intervention threshold.

However, a general carrier at the 70th percentile in Vehicle Maintenance is below that category's 80th-percentile threshold.

The same number can have different meanings.

Reaching or exceeding an intervention threshold does not automatically result in a fine or a formal safety rating change.

It may increase the chance that FMCSA will review the carrier.

Freight brokers and shippers may also use their own carrier screening rules. Those business standards are separate from FMCSA's intervention thresholds.

How to Check Your CSA Scores for Free

You can check available CSA-related safety information through FMCSA's official SMS website.

You do not need to purchase a third-party service to begin reviewing your carrier's records.

Follow these steps:

1. Visit the FMCSA SMS website.

2. Enter your company's USDOT number in the carrier search field.

3. Open the correct carrier profile.

4. Review the BASIC information and safety records available to you.

5. Look at inspection violations and identify recurring concerns.

Some information is restricted from public view.

Motor carriers can sign in through their authorized FMCSA accounts to review more complete SMS information.

If your company does not have a percentile in a particular BASIC, FMCSA may not have enough qualifying safety data to calculate one.

No displayed percentile does not mean the carrier has a perfect safety record.

SMS information is generally updated monthly. New inspections, crashes, and corrected records may take time to appear.

When reviewing your results, focus on the details behind the numbers. Check which violations appear most often, which vehicles or drivers are involved, and whether the same issues keep returning.

How to Improve Your CSA Scores

The best way to improve CSA-related safety performance is to fix the problems behind violations and prevent them from happening again.

There is no guaranteed shortcut to a lower percentile.

Start with the BASIC categories that need attention, then take practical steps.

1. Review roadside inspection results.

Look for repeated violations.

For example, if several trucks have lighting problems, find out whether drivers are checking the lights and whether repairs are being completed.

2. Improve vehicle maintenance.

Follow a preventive maintenance schedule that fits your vehicles and applicable rules.

Check brakes, tires, lights, and other safety equipment. Repair defects promptly and keep required records.

3. Coach drivers on safe driving.

Use inspection findings and safety concerns to guide driver coaching.

Focus on issues such as speeding, distracted driving, following distance, and vehicle inspections.

Training should address actual problems found in your fleet.

4. Monitor hours-of-service compliance.

Review electronic logging device records where required.

Watch for repeated violations and scheduling practices that may contribute to fatigue.

Remember that hours-of-service rules include exceptions. Managers should confirm which requirements apply to their operations.

5. Review driver qualifications.

Check applicable licenses, medical qualifications, and driver qualification records.

A DOT compliance checklist can help managers review driver qualification files, maintenance records, inspection reports, and other important compliance tasks before small problems become repeated violations.

6. Monitor the results.

Review future inspections and monthly SMS updates to determine whether your changes are helping.

Clean inspections can improve certain BASIC measures, but they do not erase earlier accurate violations.

Fleet safety supervisor and truck driver reviewing a semi-truck tire and inspection checklist during a safety discussion at a U.S. trucking yard.

Create a Corrective Action Plan

A corrective action plan helps managers turn safety problems into clear tasks.

Suppose several inspections identify brake defects.

Your plan could include:

A regular DOT audit can help your company find missing records, repeated violations, and weak safety procedures before they lead to bigger problems. Reviewing these areas also helps managers check whether corrective actions are working.

Keep records showing what was found, who handled the problem, and when the work was completed.

This can also help your company prepare for an FMCSA safety audit.

Challenge Incorrect Safety Data Through DataQs

Sometimes an inspection or crash record contains incorrect information.

If you believe a record is wrong, you can request a review through FMCSA's DataQs system.

Provide the inspection report, relevant documents, and a clear explanation of the suspected error.

Submitting a request does not guarantee that the record will be changed.

FMCSA also operates the Crash Preventability Determination Program.

The program covers eligible crash types under criteria expanded on December 1, 2024. Earlier crashes are reviewed under the applicable previous criteria.

When FMCSA determines that a qualifying crash was not preventable, it excludes that crash from the carrier's Crash Indicator BASIC calculation. The crash can still appear in FMCSA records.

How Managers Can Maintain Better CSA Performance

Improving CSA scores takes more than fixing one violation.

Fleet managers need a reliable process for reviewing safety information, supervising drivers, maintaining vehicles, and following up on corrective actions.

One useful practice is to assign someone to review SMS data every month.

That person can identify new violations, repeated problems, overdue repairs, and tasks that still need attention.

A monthly SMS review is a recommended management practice, not a separate federal requirement that applies to every carrier.

Keeping safety records organized and correcting problems early can also make it easier to prepare for an FMCSA safety audit. Managers should understand what inspectors may review and how to keep the required documents ready.

CSA monitoring is only one part of broader DOT compliance program management. Carriers also need to meet the driver qualification, vehicle maintenance, hours-of-service, and other rules that apply to their operations.

Build Your DOT Compliance Knowledge With USCI

Managers responsible for fleet safety may benefit from structured compliance training.

US Compliance Institute's DOT Compliance for Managers course covers driver qualifications, hours-of-service oversight, vehicle safety, roadside inspections, CSA scores, and corrective actions.

It is designed for fleet managers, safety supervisors, DOT compliance personnel, and trucking company owners responsible for compliance oversight.

The self-paced online course was listed with approximately 70 minutes of training across five modules and 20 lectures, along with knowledge checks and one year of course access.

After completing the course requirements, learners receive a downloadable Certificate of Completion.

This certificate documents course completion. It is not an FMCSA-issued credential.

The course also does not replace CDL training, specialized training required for certain jobs, or a full compliance audit.

Completing one course does not automatically make a trucking company compliant with every DOT regulation.

For managers who need a practical introduction to their oversight responsibilities, the course can be a useful starting point.

Conclusion

CSA scores help motor carriers understand where safety problems may need attention.

The most useful approach is to check your SMS information, understand the BASIC categories, identify repeated violations, and correct the problems behind them.

Remember that higher percentiles generally indicate worse relative performance, but each result needs context.

Start by reviewing your company's latest SMS data. Then focus on practical improvements that help protect drivers, maintain vehicles, and support safer operations.