The CSA Score (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) is a safety measurement system used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to identify high-risk motor carriers and prioritize them for interventions. Here's a clear breakdown of how the CSA score rules work and what you need to know:

🚛 What Is the CSA Program?

CSA is a data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program. It holds motor carriers and drivers accountable for their role in safety on the road, using a scoring system known as BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories).

📊 The 7 BASICs Categories

CSA scores are based on violations recorded in the following seven categories:

  1. Unsafe Driving

    • Speeding, reckless driving, failure to yield, texting, etc.

  2. Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance

    • Violations of driving time limits, logbook violations, ELD issues.

  3. Driver Fitness

    • Issues with licensing, medical cards, endorsements, etc.

  4. Controlled Substances/Alcohol

    • Use or possession of drugs or alcohol while operating a CMV.

  5. Vehicle Maintenance

    • Faulty brakes, lights, tires, load securement problems.

  6. Hazardous Materials Compliance

    • Improper packaging, placarding, or handling of hazmat materials.

  7. Crash Indicator

    • Based on police-reported crashes involving the carrier.

Note: The Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials scores are only visible to FMCSA and the carrier, not the public.

🧮 How the CSA Score Is Calculated

  • Data Source: CSA scores are based on roadside inspections, crash reports, and investigations over the past 24 months.

  • Severity Weight: Violations are assigned a weight from 1 to 10 based on severity.

  • Time Weighting: Recent violations count more heavily.

  • Carrier Size Adjustment: The number of inspections is factored in to ensure fairness across carriers of different sizes.

  • Percentile Ranking: Carriers are ranked from 0 to 100 (lower is better) against peers with a similar number of inspections.

🔄 What Changed Recently?

As of 2023–2024, FMCSA has been piloting SMS Preview, a proposed update to CSA scoring. Key changes include:

  • Consolidating violation types into simpler categories.

  • Severity weight simplification.

  • Making category thresholds more transparent.

  • New violation grouping to make scoring more intuitive.

This is not yet final, but you can preview your score in the new system here:
👉 SMS Preview Site (FMCSA)

🧰 How to Check Your CSA Score

You can view your company’s CSA score by logging into the FMCSA’s SAFER system or SMS portal:

  • FMCSA SMS Portal

  • SAFER Company Snapshot

You’ll need your DOT number or MC number.

✅ Tips to Improve CSA Scores

  • Pre-trip inspections: Catch maintenance issues before they become violations.

  • Driver training: Focus on hours-of-service, safe driving, and logbook accuracy.

  • Review inspection reports regularly.

  • Challenge incorrect violations through the DataQs system: DataQs Portal