What Is a CSA Score? A Complete Guide for Fleets and Drivers

One of the most important tools the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) uses to track and enforce safety performance across the industry is the CSA score—short for Compliance, Safety, Accountability.

CSA scores serve as a safety benchmark for fleets and individual drivers alike. They help regulators identify carriers that pose a higher risk on the road, but their influence goes far beyond government oversight. For fleets, a strong CSA score can reduce roadside inspections, lower insurance costs, and support a reputation for safety excellence. For drivers, it can directly impact job security, career opportunities, and even pay.

Whether you’re managing a national fleet or operating as an independent driver, understanding how CSA scores work—and how they affect your day-to-day operations—is critical. In this guide, we’ll break down what CSA scores are, how they’re calculated, why they matter, and what proactive steps you can take to maintain or improve your score.

From compliance to crash prevention, your CSA score is more than a number—it’s a reflection of how your fleet operates on the road. Let’s dive in.

What Is a CSA Score?

A CSA score is part of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Launched in 2010, the CSA program is designed to identify high-risk motor carriers and drivers, improve roadway safety, and ultimately reduce the number of crashes involving commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).

CSA Defined

At its core, the CSA program tracks safety violations and crash data to produce performance-based scores for motor carriers and, indirectly, commercial drivers. These scores reflect a company’s or driver’s compliance with federal safety regulations, helping the FMCSA prioritize interventions for those that pose the greatest risk to public safety.

The Purpose Behind CSA

CSA isn’t just a score—it’s a data-driven enforcement framework. Its main goal is to:

• Monitor the safety performance of trucking companies and drivers,
• Promote accountability by identifying and correcting unsafe behavior,
• Streamline enforcement by focusing FMCSA’s resources on those who need it most.

By evaluating real-world safety events—like roadside inspections, crash reports, and violations—the CSA system provides insight into a carrier’s day-to-day safety practices. A poor CSA score may trigger audits, interventions, or increased roadside inspections, while a strong score can lead to operational advantages like bypass opportunities and lower insurance premiums.

Who It Applies To

CSA scores apply to:

• Motor Carriers: Every registered trucking company in the U.S. with a U.S. DOT number is monitored under the CSA program. The score reflects the safety performance of the entire fleet, and violations by individual drivers are attributed to the carrier.
• Commercial Drivers: While CSA doesn’t assign drivers their own public score, individual violations contribute to a carrier’s overall score and are recorded in a driver’s Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) record—used by employers during the hiring process.

CSA is the FMCSA’s way of holding the commercial trucking industry accountable for safety—ensuring carriers and drivers alike take an active role in reducing risk and operating responsibly.

How CSA Scores Are Calculated

CSA scores are calculated through the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS)—a data-driven platform that evaluates a motor carrier’s safety performance using real-world enforcement and inspection data. Rather than assigning a single score, the SMS system groups safety behaviors into seven categories known as BASICs, short for Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories.

Each BASIC tracks a different aspect of safety and compliance, and carriers are assigned a percentile ranking (from 0 to 100) within each category—based on how they perform relative to similar-sized fleets. A higher percentile indicates worse performance, and may prompt FMCSA intervention.

The 7 BASIC Categories:

1. Unsafe Driving
   • Covers violations like speeding, improper lane changes, failure to wear seatbelts, reckless driving, and cellphone use while driving.
   • This BASIC directly reflects risky behavior behind the wheel.
2. Crash Indicator
   • Based on crash reports from the past two years involving your fleet, including severity and frequency.
   • This category is not public-facing, but it heavily impacts FMCSA interventions.
3. Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance
   • Includes violations related to driving beyond legal hours, falsifying logs, and not using electronic logging devices (ELDs) properly.
   • HOS compliance is critical for managing fatigue-related risk.
4. Vehicle Maintenance
   • Flags issues like inoperable lights, worn brakes, defective tires, and inspection failures.
   • Frequent maintenance issues suggest a lack of preventive fleet oversight.
5. Controlled Substances/Alcohol
   • Tracks drug and alcohol violations including positive tests or possession in a CMV.
   • Even one incident can have serious consequences on a CSA score.
6. Hazardous Materials Compliance (if applicable)
   • Applies to carriers that transport hazmat, tracking packaging, labeling, placarding, and securement violations.
   • Regulated more stringently due to the high-risk nature of the cargo.
7. Driver Fitness
   • Includes violations like operating without a valid CDL, expired medical cards, or lack of proper endorsements.
   • Reflects a carrier’s attention to proper hiring and driver qualification standards.

Data Sources That Drive the Scores

CSA scores are based on real-world data pulled from multiple sources:

• Roadside Inspections: Including both violations and clean inspections.
• Crash Reports: Sourced from state law enforcement crash data.
• FMCSA Investigations: Including audits, interventions, and compliance reviews.

Each violation is weighted based on severity and how recent it occurred—more recent violations carry more weight. Repeated offenses in the same BASIC can quickly escalate your score.

Peer Group Percentile Rankings

Carriers are ranked against similar-sized fleets (based on number of power units) to ensure fairness. The result is a percentile score per BASIC:

• 0% = best (no violations)
• 100% = worst (most violations compared to peers)

This percentile model helps FMCSA identify underperforming fleets and prioritize them for audits or roadside inspections.

Together, this scoring system provides a comprehensive view of a fleet’s safety record—and highlights where improvements are needed to maintain compliance and reduce risk.

Why CSA Scores Matter

CSA scores aren’t just a federal safety metric—they have real-world consequences that directly impact a fleet’s operations, a driver’s career, and overall industry compliance. From regulatory scrutiny to insurance rates and hiring decisions, understanding the implications of CSA scores is essential for both carriers and drivers.

For Fleets: Risk, Reputation, and Revenue

A fleet’s CSA performance has a ripple effect across multiple areas of its business:

• Increased DOT Oversight and Audits: Carriers with high CSA scores are flagged for more frequent roadside inspections, Compliance Reviews (CRs), and possible Safety Fitness Determinations (SFDs). These disruptions can delay shipments and reduce productivity.
• Insurance Premiums and Coverage: Insurance providers often review CSA data to evaluate risk. Fleets with poor CSA scores may face higher premiums, reduced coverage options, or be required to carry additional insurance as a condition of policy renewal.
• Operational Efficiency and Bypass Eligibility: A strong CSA score contributes to a better Inspection Selection System (ISS) score, which can qualify a fleet for weigh station bypass programs like Drivewyze PreClear. Poor scores can disqualify fleets from bypass eligibility—leading to more inspection delays and reduced driver satisfaction.
• Safety Reputation and Customer Trust: Shippers, brokers, and business partners may use CSA data to screen potential carriers. A solid safety record can help win more contracts, while a poor one can cost your business credibility and revenue.

For Drivers: Job Security and Career Progression

Although drivers don’t have their own public CSA scores, their individual violations contribute to their carrier’s score and appear in their Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) records. These records follow them across jobs and can influence hiring decisions.

• Impact on Hiring and Retention: Carriers review PSP reports when onboarding drivers. Frequent violations or a history of noncompliance can limit job opportunities—or lead to dismissal in safety-conscious fleets.
• Bonuses, Recognition, and Coaching: Some fleets use CSA-related performance data to determine driver incentives, such as safety bonuses or recognition programs. Others may use the data to identify coaching opportunities or mandatory retraining.
• Personal Responsibility and Professionalism: A driver’s commitment to safety not only protects lives but also enhances their professional reputation, helping them build a stable, long-term career in a highly competitive industry.

For Compliance and Industry Oversight

From the FMCSA’s perspective, CSA scores are a critical tool for enforcing accountability across the trucking industry:

• Targeting High-Risk Carriers: The FMCSA uses CSA scores to prioritize interventions, inspections, and investigations. This helps the agency allocate resources efficiently and reduce crash rates by focusing on carriers with the highest potential risk.
• Promoting a Culture of Safety: CSA drives a shift from reactive enforcement to proactive risk management. It encourages carriers and drivers to correct unsafe behaviors before they result in crashes or violations.

CSA scores are more than just a compliance metric—they’re a powerful driver of performance, safety, and business outcomes across the industry. For fleets and drivers alike, managing CSA scores proactively is a critical part of long-term success.

How to Check Your CSA Score

Monitoring your CSA score is essential for staying proactive with compliance and safety management. Thankfully, the FMCSA provides tools to help fleets and drivers access performance data and track safety trends over time.

FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) Portal

The primary platform for reviewing CSA scores is the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS), available online at: https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS

Through the SMS portal, motor carriers can:

• View their percentile rankings in each BASIC category
• Access violation history from inspections and crash reports
• Identify trends and problem areas needing corrective action
• Download detailed reports and safety event group comparisons

To log in and access full CSA data, carriers must provide their U.S. DOT number and a personal identification number (PIN) issued by FMCSA.

What’s Visible to the Public vs. Carriers

Not all CSA data is publicly visible. Here’s what different audiences can access:

• Carriers (Private Access):
  • Full BASIC percentile scores, including the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance, which are restricted from public view
  • Detailed violation records and inspection results
  • Interventions or investigations noted by FMCSA
• Public Users (Shippers, Brokers, etc.):
  • Limited view of BASIC categories (excluding Crash and HazMat)
  • Number of inspections, out-of-service rates, and violation summaries
  • General safety ratings and authority status

Why this matters: Shippers and insurers often review public CSA data to evaluate risk before working with a carrier. A poor public-facing profile can result in lost business opportunities—even if the full internal record is more nuanced.

Why Regular Score Monitoring Matters

Checking your CSA score isn’t just a compliance task—it’s a strategic advantage. Here’s why fleets should make score monitoring a routine process:

• Catch Issues Early: Spot violations or downward trends before they escalate into interventions or audits.
• Protect Reputation: Know what your partners and customers can see—and take steps to improve your public safety profile.
• Coach Drivers Proactively: Use score data to identify coaching opportunities, reward strong performers, and prevent repeat offenses.
• Improve Bypass Eligibility: Maintaining strong scores supports eligibility for weigh station bypass services like Drivewyze PreClear, helping reduce delays and inspection interruptions.

By making CSA monitoring a regular part of your fleet’s operations, you not only stay in step with FMCSA expectations—you also empower your team to take ownership of safety, compliance, and performance on the road.

How to Improve and Maintain a Strong CSA Score

A strong CSA score doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of a consistent, proactive approach to safety, training, maintenance, and compliance. 

Here’s how to build and maintain strong CSA performance:

1. Implement Proactive Safety Policies and Rigorous Vehicle Maintenance

Preventing violations begins with the basics:

• Establish clear safety protocols and enforce company-wide compliance with FMCSA regulations.
• Create a preventive maintenance program to identify and fix mechanical issues—such as worn brakes, inoperable lights, and tire defects—before a roadside inspector catches them.
• Conduct pre- and post-trip inspections diligently, ensuring that drivers are held accountable for reporting and addressing issues.

Well-maintained vehicles and a visible safety culture reduce the risk of out-of-service violations—two of the biggest contributors to high CSA scores.

2. Prioritize Driver Coaching and Use Real-Time In-Cab Safety Tools

Drivers play a direct role in CSA performance—especially in categories like Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service, and Driver Fitness. Investing in regular coaching and equipping drivers with real-time decision-making tools can make a measurable difference.

• Launch a structured coaching program focused on high-risk behaviors (speeding, fatigue, aggressive driving).
• Use telematics data to provide personalized feedback and behavior-based training.
• Equip vehicles with tools like Drivewyze Safety+, which delivers real-time, location-based in-cab alerts to help drivers avoid:
  • Speeding in high-risk areas
  • Sudden work zones or sharp curves
  • High-rollover zones and high-citation areas

These alerts are integrated through the driver’s existing ELD or telematics platform, meaning there’s no extra hardware required—and they provide contextual warnings when and where drivers need them most.

Drivewyze Safety+ not only helps prevent crashes, but also helps reduce violations that would negatively impact your CSA score.

3. Aim for Clean Inspections and Address Issues Promptly

Clean inspections—those with no violations—boost your CSA performance and build your credibility with enforcement agencies. To increase your rate of clean inspections:

• Train drivers on what inspectors look for during roadside checks.
• Reward clean inspections to reinforce strong habits.
• Address any violation or inspection issue immediately—whether mechanical or documentation-related.

Prompt issue resolution can prevent repeat violations and demonstrate a fleet’s commitment to corrective action during audits.

4. Maintain Accurate Records, Ongoing Training, and Internal Audits

A compliance-first mindset requires structure and accountability:

• Keep thorough maintenance logs, driver qualification files, and HOS records.
• Conduct regular internal audits to identify gaps before they become external liabilities.
• Offer ongoing compliance training for both new hires and experienced drivers to keep everyone aligned with the latest FMCSA regulations.

Building a paper trail of proactive safety actions can help defend your fleet during investigations and contribute to long-term CSA stability.

Improving your CSA score requires a balance of policy, prevention, and performance insights. By pairing good operational practices with modern safety technology like Drivewyze Safety+, fleets can move from reactive to proactive—reducing violations, increasing driver confidence, and staying ahead of regulatory scrutiny.