CSA Score (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)

The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program is the FMCSA's data-driven safety compliance and enforcement system. It uses roadside inspection results, crash reports, and investigation findings to quantify carrier and driver safety performance across seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs): Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Crash Indicator.

Each BASIC is scored on a percentile basis from 0 to 100, with higher percentiles indicating worse safety performance relative to peer carriers. Carriers that exceed intervention thresholds in any BASIC may be subject to warning letters, targeted inspections, cooperative safety plans, or formal investigations. The thresholds vary by BASIC and carrier type.

CSA scores are publicly available through the FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) website, and shippers and brokers routinely review them as part of carrier qualification. A poor CSA score can directly impact a carrier's ability to win freight contracts, as many shippers set maximum score thresholds in their carrier selection criteria. Maintaining strong CSA performance requires ongoing attention to driver training, vehicle maintenance, and compliance programs.