CSA Scores & the BASICs, Explained
How the FMCSA safety-scoring system works, what raises your numbers, and why brokers and insurers watch them.
Key Facts
- CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) is FMCSA's program for identifying carriers with higher crash risk.
- Roadside inspections and violations feed the Safety Measurement System (SMS), grouped into behavior categories called BASICs.
- The BASICs include Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, and more.
- High scores mean more inspections, higher insurance costs, and lost freight — brokers and shippers check them.
What CSA measures
The FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability program scores carriers using data from roadside inspections and crashes, processed through the Safety Measurement System (SMS). The goal is to flag carriers whose patterns suggest elevated crash risk so FMCSA can prioritize interventions.
The BASICs
- Unsafe Driving (speeding, reckless, texting)
- Hours-of-Service Compliance (log and duty-time violations)
- Vehicle Maintenance (defects, lights, brakes, tires)
- Controlled Substances / Alcohol
- Driver Fitness (licensing and medical qualification)
- Hazardous Materials Compliance
- Crash Indicator
Why it follows you
Scores affect how often you're inspected, what you pay for insurance, and whether brokers and shippers will use you — many screen carriers by safety profile. Violations weight by severity and age, so the fastest way to a clean profile is clean inspections: fix defects before roadside catches them, run legal hours, and keep your paperwork tight.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I see my own CSA data?
- Yes. Carriers can log into FMCSA's SMS to view their inspection history and BASIC percentiles, and drivers can request their own inspection records through the DataQs system to challenge errors.
- How long do violations stay on the record?
- Violations affect your SMS profile for 24 months, with more recent and more severe events weighted more heavily.