What Is a CSA Score and How Does It Affect Your Fleet?

Key Takeaways

• CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability. Your score is a percentile from 0 to 100 inside the FMCSA Safety Measurement System and lower is better. A high percentile means most comparable carriers outperform you on safety.
• FMCSA currently evaluates carriers across seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). A percentile at or above the applicable threshold can prioritize a carrier for intervention, but it is not a federal safety rating.
• SMS weights roadside inspection violations by severity and recency. A violation from the past six months receives three times the time weight of the same violation from 12 to 24 months ago, per FMCSA’s current SMS methodology.
• In BASICs where an out-of-service weight applies, an OOS violation receives 2 additional severity-weight points. The effect depends on the BASIC, the violation, the inspection, and the carrier’s other data.
• Hours-of-service compliance remains a practical enforcement concern. During the 2026 International Roadcheck, HOS violations were the second-most common driver out-of-service category in the United States.
• Public SMS access depends on the BASIC and carrier type. Property-carrier Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance percentiles are not publicly displayed, while carriers can log in to see their complete profile.
• Violations stay in the SMS window for 24 months and then drop off automatically. Relevant clean inspections can affect an SMS BASIC measure, but they do not guarantee a lower percentile. Results depend on the current SMS methodology, inspection and violation history, data sufficiency, and the carrier’s rank relative to comparable carriers.
• Carriers and drivers can request a data review through the FMCSA DataQs system. If the review changes the underlying record or records an eligible adjudication, SMS data may be corrected, removed, or reweighted.

Introduction

A CSA score is a percentile produced by FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) to help prioritize motor carriers for monitoring and intervention. FMCSA updates SMS monthly, and enforcement personnel may use the results when selecting carriers for roadside inspections or investigations.

SMS produces a separate percentile for each BASIC when the carrier has enough relevant data. On-road measures generally use 24 months of inspection and crash data, while Acute and Critical Violations found during investigations can affect prioritization for 12 months. A percentile at or above the applicable threshold can place a carrier in warning status, but the percentile is not a federal safety rating and does not guarantee a specific enforcement action.

Below, you will learn how a CSA score is calculated, which seven BASICs are currently in force, how thresholds vary by carrier type, what FMCSA’s forthcoming methodology changes would do, and how ELD and HOS records affect the HOS Compliance BASIC.

If you have questions about your fleet’s current compliance position or want to understand how your ELD records feed into your SMS profile, schedule a call with our team or reach us at (800) 261-4361.

What FMCSA Has on Your Fleet

A carrier may not notice a deteriorating BASIC until a warning letter arrives or an investigation begins. By then, the inspections, violations, or crashes affecting the measure may have been in SMS for several monthly updates. A warning letter is an early notice of potential compliance problems, not a safety rating or an automatic penalty.

Public access is more limited than many summaries suggest. The public can see inspection and crash data, investigation results, and measures for public BASICs. For property carriers, Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance percentiles are not publicly displayed. Carriers should log in with their own credentials to review the complete SMS profile and underlying records.

Your CSA score is not a verdict and it is not permanent. It is a running calculation built from individual data points, and individual data points can be managed, challenged, and prevented. For context on how violations follow both a driver and a carrier through the FMCSA system over time, our article on how ELD violations affect your record covers the scoring timeline in full.

What Is a CSA Score and How Does the System Work?

A CSA score is a percentile ranking inside FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System. FMCSA recalculates SMS monthly, generally using 24 months of on-road inspection and crash data. The percentile runs from 0 to 100, and lower is better. A score of 20 in a BASIC places the carrier near the better-performing end of its comparison group. A score of 78 is more concerning, but whether it crosses an intervention threshold depends on the BASIC and whether the carrier is classified as general, passenger, or hazardous materials.

FMCSA does not produce a single overall score for your fleet. It produces a separate percentile for each of seven categories called BASICs, which stands for Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories. Each BASIC tracks a distinct type of safety behavior, each carries its own intervention threshold, and crossing a threshold in even one category can trigger warning letters, targeted inspections, or a full compliance review regardless of how clean the other six look.

SMS uses roadside inspection violations, state-reported crashes, and investigation results. A roadside violation can affect SMS whether or not the officer also issues a citation or ticket. Reportable crash data feeds the Crash Indicator BASIC, subject to FMCSA’s Crash Preventability Determination Program, and Acute or Critical Violations found during investigations can also affect prioritization. Events associated with drivers operating under your USDOT number can therefore affect the carrier’s SMS profile.

How Does FMCSA Actually Calculate Each Score?

FMCSA does not count violations and produce a raw number. Each violation goes through a two-factor weighting process before your carrier is ranked against peers, and those two factors are what make recent, serious citations far more damaging than older or minor ones.

The first factor is severity. Under the current methodology, applicable roadside violations are assigned a weight from 1 to 10 within their BASIC. The weights are BASIC-specific and should not be compared across categories. In BASICs where an OOS weight applies, an out-of-service violation receives 2 additional severity-weight points; it is not multiplied by a separate OOS factor.

The second factor is recency, which determines how much time-based weight each violation carries depending on when it was recorded. A violation from the past six months carries a time multiplier of 3, the same violation from seven to twelve months ago carries a multiplier of 2, and anything beyond twelve months drops to 1. After 24 months the violation exits the window entirely and no longer affects your score. Older violations lose time weight as they age, and relevant clean inspections can affect a BASIC measure. Neither change automatically lowers a percentile: FMCSA also applies data-sufficiency rules and ranks carriers relative to others in their safety event group under the current methodology.

FMCSA then normalizes measures for exposure. HOS Compliance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, and Driver Fitness use relevant driver inspections; Vehicle Maintenance and Hazardous Materials Compliance use relevant vehicle inspections. Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator use carrier size and vehicle-miles-traveled inputs. SMS applies minimum data-sufficiency rules and compares carriers within safety event groups before assigning a percentile.

What Do FMCSA’s Planned SMS Changes Mean in 2026?

As of September 2026, FMCSA’s redesigned SMS methodology is approved but not yet in effect. FMCSA’s Prioritization Preview tells carriers to continue using the current SMS while the agency prepares the updated system.

When implemented, the new methodology would reorganize more than 2,000 violation codes into approximately 100 violation groups, move Controlled Substances/Alcohol and operating-while-OOS violations into Unsafe Driving, split Vehicle Maintenance into two compliance categories, and simplify most severity weights to 1 or 2. It would also raise the general-carrier Driver Fitness threshold from 80 percent to 90 percent. Those forthcoming changes are useful for planning, but they should not be described as the methodology currently used for enforcement.

What Are the 7 Current BASIC Categories and What Feeds Each One?

Each BASIC is scored independently, which means a clean score in six categories does not protect you if the seventh crosses its threshold. Understanding what feeds each one is the starting point for identifying where your fleet’s actual risk is concentrated.

Unsafe Driving

Unsafe Driving covers behaviors such as speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes, texting, and failing to wear a safety belt. Under the current methodology, Controlled Substances/Alcohol remains a separate BASIC, and operating-while-OOS violations remain in the BASIC associated with the underlying violation. FMCSA plans to reorganize those items under the forthcoming methodology, but that change is not yet in effect.

HOS Compliance

HOS Compliance includes violations such as exceeding the property-carrier driving and on-duty limits in 49 CFR 395.3, failing to maintain required records of duty status under 49 CFR 395.8, and using an ELD that is not on FMCSA’s registered list when an ELD is required under 49 CFR 395.22(a). During the 2026 International Roadcheck, HOS violations were the second-most common driver out-of-service category in the United States. Accurate logs, properly annotated edits, supporting documents, and a currently registered ELD help reduce avoidable exposure in this BASIC.

Driver Fitness

Driver Fitness tracks issues such as CDL validity, medical qualification, and driver qualification requirements. Under the current SMS, the general-carrier intervention threshold is 80 percent, and this BASIC is not segmented by straight versus combination vehicles. FMCSA has approved future segmentation and a higher threshold, but those changes are not yet in effect.

Vehicle Maintenance

This category tracks brake defects, tire violations, lighting failures, and other mechanical issues found during roadside inspections. A defect may have existed before departure or developed during the trip, so the record should support both pre-trip checks and prompt reporting and repair of problems discovered in service. Preventive maintenance, driver inspections, and documented corrective action all matter.

Controlled Substances/Alcohol

This current BASIC covers operation of commercial motor vehicles by drivers impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medication. It also includes certain testing-program and Clearinghouse-related violations. FMCSA plans to move roadside Controlled Substances/Alcohol violations into Unsafe Driving under the forthcoming methodology, but this remains a separate BASIC today.

Hazardous Materials Compliance

Hazardous Materials Compliance tracks placarding, packaging, loading, securement, shipping-paper, and related requirements. Its on-road measure uses relevant vehicle inspections involving placardable quantities of hazardous materials. The percentile is not publicly displayed for property carriers, although carriers can view their own complete profile after logging in.

Crash Indicator

Crash Indicator tracks the frequency and severity of state-reported crashes that meet FMCSA’s reportable-crash definition, including crashes involving a fatality, an injury requiring immediate medical treatment away from the scene, or a tow-away because of disabling damage. A crash can appear regardless of fault. However, crashes FMCSA determines were not preventable through the Crash Preventability Determination Program are excluded from the carrier’s Crash Indicator measure and percentile.

What Happens When You Cross an Intervention Threshold?

Crossing an intervention threshold does not automatically produce a fine, an out-of-service order, or a compliance review. It means the carrier may be prioritized for a warning letter, roadside inspection, investigation, or further monitoring. FMCSA also considers Acute and Critical Violations found during investigations, so a carrier may be prioritized even without a percentile above a threshold.

For general carriers, the current thresholds are 65 percent for Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, and HOS Compliance, and 80 percent for Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Driver Fitness. Passenger-carrier and hazardous-materials-carrier thresholds can be lower, as shown in the table below.

A warning letter identifies the BASICs with potential safety problems and encourages the carrier to review and correct them. FMCSA states that the carrier does not have to respond in writing. An offsite investigation is conducted remotely and is non-ratable, although violations can lead to penalties or a later onsite investigation. An onsite comprehensive investigation may result in a safety rating under the FMCSA safety fitness procedures.

How Can a High CSA Score Affect Your Fleet?

The direct federal consequence of a percentile at or above a threshold is prioritization: FMCSA may select the carrier for warning, monitoring, roadside inspection, or investigation. The result is not automatic, and SMS does not itself impose a fine or create a federal safety rating.

Insurance underwriters, brokers, and shippers may consider available federal safety information as part of their own risk reviews, but their criteria are not set by FMCSA and vary by company. For property carriers, public SMS access also omits the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance percentiles. Avoid treating a specific percentile as a guaranteed premium increase or loss of freight.

The practical response is the same regardless of how a third party uses the data: review the complete carrier profile, identify the recent and high-severity violations driving each measure, correct operational causes, and use DataQs when the underlying record is inaccurate.

Current CSA Intervention Thresholds

These are prioritization thresholds in FMCSA’s June 2026 SMS methodology. They are not safety ratings, and meeting a threshold does not guarantee a specific intervention.

Questions to Ask Before Your Next Inspection

Do we know our current percentile in each of the seven BASICs right now?

If you cannot answer that question, start with the FMCSA Safety Measurement System. Public data is limited for some BASICs and property-carrier percentiles, so use the carrier login to review the complete profile. SMS updates monthly. A scheduled monthly review gives you time to investigate new records, correct operational causes, and submit a DataQs request when the source data is inaccurate.

Which violations from the past six months are carrying the most weight in our score right now?

Because violations from the past six months carry a 3x time multiplier, recent citations are doing the most damage to your current percentile. Pulling a list of roadside inspection results from the past 180 days and identifying which citations carry the highest severity weight in each BASIC tells you exactly where to concentrate improvement effort, rather than treating all historical violations as equally urgent. The recent and severe ones are the ones moving your score most directly today, and those are the ones worth addressing first.

Are all of our drivers operating on currently registered ELD devices?

Check every deployed device against the FMCSA registered ELD list. On August 6, 2026, FMCSA removed five devices and instructed affected carriers to replace them before October 6, 2026. After the applicable replacement period, continued use can result in a 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1) citation and an out-of-service order. Compliance Now by Geosavi ELD, identifier GEO001, was listed on FMCSA’s registered list when this article was reviewed in September 2026. You can confirm hardware and connection options on our ELD platform and hardware.

Do we have a pre-trip inspection process that creates a verifiable documented record?

Current rules require a driver to be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition before driving under 49 CFR 396.13. Under 49 CFR 396.11, drivers must report qualifying defects or deficiencies discovered or reported during the day, subject to the rule’s exceptions and record requirements. FMCSA’s forthcoming methodology would create a Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed category, but that category is not yet used in current SMS scoring. The operational priority today is a genuine inspection process, prompt defect reporting, and documented repair when required.

Have we reviewed our SMS inspection records for accuracy in the past 90 days?

Not every violation in your SMS record is necessarily correct. Officers sometimes assign citations to the wrong carrier, reference the wrong regulation, or record defects that were not present. Review your inspection history and use the FMCSA DataQs system to request review of an inaccurate record. If the responsible agency corrects data used by SMS, the correction may change a BASIC measure after the next applicable update; a lower percentile is not guaranteed because SMS recalculates relative rankings. A regular review helps you identify records to investigate while details are still available.

Do our drivers understand how inspections affect the carrier’s CSA profile?

Drivers should understand that roadside inspection violations recorded under the carrier’s USDOT number can affect the carrier’s SMS measures. Public visibility varies by BASIC and carrier type, but enforcement and the carrier can access more complete data. Training drivers on accurate logs, inspections, and defect reporting helps address the behaviors that produce violations. Our article on how fleet management connects to compliance outcomes explains how operational discipline supports a cleaner compliance record.

Are our HOS records accurate enough to hold up under a targeted inspection right now?

The 2026 International Roadcheck focused on ELD tampering, falsification, and manipulation. CVSA reported 146 out-of-service orders for ELD tampering during the event, while HOS violations were the second-most common driver out-of-service category in the United States. Officers can review unidentified driving time, log edits, annotations, and supporting documents. Carriers should verify that edits follow 49 CFR 395.30, that drivers review proposed changes, and that records explain legitimate corrections.

If we are already above a threshold in one category, what should our next 90 days look like?

A 90-day plan should focus on the violations and processes actually driving the BASIC. Confirm ELD registration, review recent inspection data, correct recurring maintenance or qualification issues, reinforce current FMCSA HOS requirements, and submit DataQs requests only when the source record is inaccurate. Older events lose time weight as they age, and clean inspections can improve a measure, but FMCSA does not guarantee a specific percentile change within 90 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scorecard and CSA Basics

What does CSA stand for?

CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability. Its Safety Measurement System uses roadside inspection data, state-reported crashes, and investigation results to prioritize carriers. When enough relevant data exists, SMS assigns a percentile from 0 to 100 within a BASIC, with a lower percentile indicating better performance relative to comparable carriers.

How often does my CSA score update?

FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System updates monthly. The agency takes a data snapshot and then processes and validates the results before posting the monthly update. Review the snapshot date in SMS rather than assuming a roadside event will appear within a fixed number of days.

Can I see my own CSA score?

Yes. Your carrier’s SMS data is available through the FMCSA Safety Measurement System using your USDOT number and PIN. Some BASIC categories and underlying data are not publicly displayed for every carrier, but registered motor carriers can access their full profile through the system.

Who else can see my CSA score?

Some SMS information is public, but not every percentile or underlying detail is visible to everyone. For property carriers, the public can view inspection and crash data, investigation results, and measures for public BASICs, while Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance percentiles remain private. Carriers can log in to see their complete profile. Passenger-carrier data is more broadly public.

Does my CSA score affect my drivers individually?

CSA BASIC percentiles are carrier measures tied to the USDOT number; FMCSA does not publish a driver CSA score. A driver’s inspection and crash history can appear in the Pre-Employment Screening Program under its own retention rules, and violations recorded while the driver operates for a carrier can contribute to that carrier’s SMS data.

Does a clean inspection improve my score?

A relevant clean inspection adds no violation points and may affect the inspection-based denominator of a BASIC measure. It does not necessarily lower your percentile. The result depends on the current SMS methodology, your inspection and violation history, data sufficiency, and how your measure ranks against comparable carriers at the next update.

How long does a violation stay on my record?

Violations remain in the 24-month rolling SMS window from the date of the inspection. After 24 months, the violation exits the calculation entirely. The full inspection record remains in the Motor Carrier Management Information System as a historical record even after it leaves the scoring window.

ELD, HOS, and Score Management

How do ELD violations feed my CSA score?

Applicable ELD and record-of-duty-status violations feed the HOS Compliance BASIC. Under the current methodology, the HOS threshold is 65 percent for general carriers, 60 percent for qualifying HM carriers, and 50 percent for passenger carriers. Accurate, engine-connected records, proper annotations, supporting documents, and use of a currently registered device help reduce avoidable violations.

What happens if my ELD device gets removed from the FMCSA registered list?

FMCSA removal notices generally give affected carriers a replacement period and direct them to use paper logs or compliant logging software while transitioning. After the stated deadline, continued use of the revoked device can result in a 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1) citation and an out-of-service order. The exact deadline is notice-specific, so check the FMCSA registered and revoked ELD lists rather than relying on a generic 60-day assumption.

Can I dispute a roadside inspection violation I believe is wrong?

Yes. Carriers and drivers can file a Request for Data Review through the FMCSA DataQs system to challenge violations recorded incorrectly, assigned to the wrong carrier, or based on a factual error. If the responsible agency corrects or removes a record, that change can affect an SMS BASIC measure when the corrected data reaches the next SMS calculation. It does not necessarily or immediately improve the percentile, which also depends on other records, data sufficiency, and relative ranking. Submit supporting evidence while the inspection details are available.

What is the difference between a warning letter and a compliance review?

A warning letter identifies BASICs with potential safety-performance or compliance issues and encourages the carrier to review and correct them; FMCSA says no written response is required. An offsite investigation is conducted remotely and is non-ratable. An onsite comprehensive investigation examines broader regulatory compliance and may result in a safety rating. An Unsatisfactory rating can affect operating authority.

Will the planned SMS update change what I need to do operationally?

The forthcoming methodology will change violation grouping, severity weights, category structure, segmentation, and some thresholds. As of September 2026, it is not yet in effect, so carriers should continue monitoring the current SMS. The underlying compliance work remains familiar: accurate ELD records, required driver inspections and reports, current qualification files, preventive maintenance, and prompt correction of safety defects.

How does a high HOS Compliance score change what happens at roadside?

A carrier at or above the HOS Compliance threshold may be prioritized for intervention or roadside inspection. SMS is one input in enforcement prioritization, not a guarantee that a particular vehicle will be stopped or cited. If an inspection occurs, officers may review records of duty status and ELD data against the FMCSA HOS regulations.

Can a small fleet or owner-operator improve their CSA score?

Yes. SMS uses safety event groups and minimum data-sufficiency rules so carriers are compared with others that have similar numbers of relevant events. Clean inspections and the aging of older violations can improve a measure, but no fixed 90-day result is guaranteed. For owner-operators operating under their own USDOT number, each qualifying inspection event can affect the carrier profile directly. Our guide on ELD requirements for owner-operators explains how those obligations work in practice.

Conclusion

Your CSA score updates monthly, and FMCSA uses SMS to prioritize carriers for monitoring and intervention. Review the complete carrier profile regularly, confirm that inspection and crash records are accurate, address repeat violation patterns, and verify that every required ELD remains on FMCSA’s registered list.

FMCSA has approved a redesigned SMS methodology, but it was still forthcoming as of September 2026. Continue using the current seven BASICs and thresholds until FMCSA announces implementation. Accurate logs, required inspections and reports, current driver files, preventive maintenance, and prompt correction of safety defects remain the practical foundation under either methodology.

We built Geosavi Compliance Now as an FMCSA-registered ELD that produces the accurate, engine-connected records your HOS Compliance BASIC depends on at every inspection stop. If you want to talk through your fleet’s current compliance position or see how the platform fits your operation, schedule a call with our team or reach us at (800) 261-4361.