There is no single CSA score. FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System takes every roadside inspection and reportable crash tied to your USDOT number over the past 24 months, weights each violation by severity and age, and ranks you against carriers with a similar amount of activity in each of seven BASICs. A high percentile means more weighted violations, per inspection or per truck, than carriers like you; crossing a threshold puts you in line for FMCSA attention. Two of the seven, Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance, are not public at all, and property carriers’ percentiles were pulled from public view under the FAST Act. Underwriters still read the raw record behind the percentiles: inspection counts, out-of-service rates, crash history, and whether violations repeat. This page covers that, and the 2024 overhaul FMCSA has not yet switched on.
The seven BASICs and where the data comes from
CSA is Compliance, Safety, Accountability, FMCSA’s enforcement program. Its Safety Measurement System (SMS) is the workload prioritization tool that decides who gets a warning letter, a targeted inspection or an investigation. The seven BASICs:
- Unsafe Driving: speeding, reckless driving, texting, seat belts.
- Crash Indicator: crash frequency and severity. Not public.
- Hours-of-Service Compliance
- Vehicle Maintenance: brakes, lights, load securement.
- Controlled Substances/Alcohol
- Hazardous Materials Compliance. Not public.
- Driver Fitness: CDL, medical qualification, driver files.
The data comes from roadside inspections by certified MCSAP inspectors, state-reported crash records, and Acute and Critical Violations from FMCSA investigations, under your USDOT number. A violation counts whether or not the officer wrote a ticket. If a court dismisses the citation or finds the driver not guilty, the violation comes out, and a conviction on a different charge drops its weight to 1, but only once you send the court paperwork through DataQs.
How inspections and crashes become a percentile
Each violation gets a severity weight from 1 to 10 within its BASIC, based on crash risk; in Hours-of-Service, Vehicle Maintenance, HM Compliance and Driver Fitness, an out-of-service violation adds 2 (Unsafe Driving and Controlled Substances/Alcohol carry no OOS weight). Then a time weight: 3 for the last six months, 2 for six to twelve months, 1 for the rest of the 24-month window. Nothing older counts.
The total is divided by exposure: driver inspections for Hours-of-Service, Controlled Substances/Alcohol and Driver Fitness; vehicle inspections for Vehicle Maintenance and HM Compliance; power units and mileage for Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator. FMCSA then ranks you among carriers with a similar number of inspections or crashes; your percentile is where you land, and 100 is worst. Crashes count 1 for a tow-away, 2 for an injury or fatality, plus 1 for a hazmat release, and a crash the Crash Preventability Determination Program finds not preventable is left out.
Intervention thresholds, and what is public
A BASIC is “prioritized” when your percentile reaches the intervention threshold or an investigation in the past 12 months found Acute or Critical Violations in it. From the June 2026 methodology:
- Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, HOS Compliance: 65th percentile for general carriers, 60th hazmat, 50th passenger.
- Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Driver Fitness: 80th general, 75th hazmat, 65th passenger.
- HM Compliance: 80th for everyone.
Crossing one is not a fine or a safety rating; it moves you up FMCSA’s intervention list. Under section 5223 of the FAST Act, FMCSA removed property carriers’ percentiles and alerts from the public SMS site; the public still sees inspection and crash data, investigation results and the public BASIC measures, and passenger carriers’ percentiles stay public. Crash Indicator and HM Compliance are visible only to the carrier logged into its own profile and to enforcement.
The announced SMS overhaul, and where it stands
FMCSA announced a rebuilt methodology on November 20, 2024 (89 FR 91874, docket FMCSA-2022-0066):
- “Compliance categories” replace BASICs. Controlled Substances/Alcohol folds into Unsafe Driving; Vehicle Maintenance splits off a Driver Observed category.
- Violation groups. 959 roadside violations collapse into 116 groups of similar behavior.
- Severity weights of 1 or 2 instead of 1 to 10.
- A 12-month rule: in Hours of Service, both Vehicle Maintenance categories, Hazardous Materials and Driver Fitness, no percentile without a cited violation in the past 12 months.
- Proportionate percentiles replacing safety event groups.
- Higher thresholds for Driver Fitness and Hazardous Materials (80th to 90th for general carriers).
The switch has not happened. The notice said a follow-up Federal Register notice would announce the launch date; as of this writing, FMCSA’s Prioritization Preview site still tells carriers to use the current SMS, and the June 2026 methodology (version 3.21) still runs on the seven BASICs.
DataQs: challenging what is on your record
Any inspection, violation or crash you believe is wrong can be challenged through DataQs, FMCSA’s Request for Data Review system. A state’s records are reviewed by its MCSAP lead agency, and the burden of proof is yours.
FMCSA published revised DataQs requirements for MCSAP-funded states on April 16, 2026 (91 FR 20561), in effect since September 18, 2026 per the DataQs site. States must accept inspection challenges within 3 years and crash challenges within 5; open a request within 7 days; decide an Initial Review within 21 days; and offer Reconsideration (21 days) and Final Review (45 days) by people independent of the earlier decision. The issuing officer cannot be the sole decision-maker on a denial. You get 30 days to request the next stage and 14 days to answer a request for more information.
How underwriters read it
No insurer I work with prices off a single CSA number, and for property carriers the public site doesn’t show percentiles anyway. They pull the public record and ask for the rest:
- Inspection history. Driver and vehicle inspections over 24 months, how many ended out of service, and how that compares with the national average on your SAFER snapshot. High vehicle rates read as deferred maintenance; high driver rates as hours or qualification problems.
- Crashes. Fatal, injury and tow-away crashes, and any found not preventable.
- The pattern. One speeding cite is noise; the same brake violation on three inspections is a management problem.
- Your own SMS results. Many underwriters ask for your logged-in SMS page with percentiles and prioritization status.
Run DataQs on anything wrong, fix the repeat violations, and be ready to explain the rest. If you are new, the new entrant safety audit sets the first impression; drug and alcohol compliance runs through the Clearinghouse. For the policy itself, see commercial trucking insurance.
Common questions
Is there one CSA score?
No. The SMS gives a separate percentile in each of seven BASICs, and only when there is enough data. “CSA score” usually means those percentiles, or loosely the whole safety record under your USDOT number.
Can my insurance company see my CSA percentiles?
For property carriers, not on the public SMS site: percentiles and alerts were removed under the FAST Act, and the Crash Indicator and HM Compliance BASICs are hidden from everyone but the carrier and enforcement. Insurers see inspections, crashes, out-of-service rates and the public measures, and many ask you for your logged-in results.
How long does a violation stay in my SMS results?
24 months. It carries a time weight of 3 in its first six months, 2 from six to twelve months, and 1 after that. Events older than 24 months drop out.
Has the new SMS methodology taken effect?
Not as of this writing. FMCSA announced it in November 2024 and said a later Federal Register notice would announce the launch; its preview site still tells carriers to use the current SMS until then.
How do I dispute a bad inspection?
File a Request for Data Review in DataQs with your evidence, within 3 years of the inspection (5 years for a crash). Under the state requirements in effect since September 18, 2026, the initial decision is due within 21 days, with two further independent review stages if you disagree.
Sources
- FMCSA: Safety Measurement System (SMS) Methodology, version 3.21 (June 2026)
- FMCSA CSA: Measure (the seven BASICs; Crash Indicator and HM Compliance not public)
- FMCSA CSA: Intervene (intervention types)
- FMCSA SMS website (public data for property carriers under the FAST Act)
- 89 FR 91874 (Nov. 20, 2024): Enhanced Carrier Safety Measurement System (SMS)
- FMCSA CSA Prioritization Preview
- 91 FR 20561 (Apr. 16, 2026): Revisions to DataQs Requirements for MCSAP Grant Funding
- FMCSA DataQs (revised state review requirements in effect September 18, 2026)
- FMCSA SAFER: Company Snapshot help (out-of-service rates and national average)
General information about FMCSA’s CSA program, the Safety Measurement System and DataQs as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice; FMCSA’s current SMS methodology, its Federal Register notices and 49 CFR Part 385 control. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.