What Is a Good CSA Score?

Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program. It is built to improve safety and help prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

When fleets think about CSA scores they usually mean their results in FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS). SMS organizes inspection, crash, and investigation data into Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) and ranks carriers with a percentile from 0 to 100. Higher percentiles mean worse performance relative to peer carriers. That ranking helps FMCSA prioritize interventions. It is not one official composite grade, and per FMCSA’s SMS disclaimer it is not intended to imply a federal safety rating under 49 U.S.C. 31144.

Before we dig into what counts as a good CSA score, it helps to know how each BASIC result is built and why those numbers matter for your fleet.

How CSA Scores Are Calculated in the FMCSA SMS

It starts with your company’s safety data in the FMCSA SMS. FMCSA updates the SMS once a month using roadside inspections (including driver and vehicle violations), state-reported crashes from the last two years, and investigation results.

That data is organized under seven BASICs:

• Unsafe Driving, including speeding, improper lane change, inattention, no seat belts, and reckless driving
• Crash Indicator, which reflects crash involvement history (this BASIC is not public on open SMS)
• Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance, including HOS regulation and logbook noncompliance
• Vehicle Maintenance, including brakes, lights, defects, and failure to make required repairs
• Controlled Substances/Alcohol
• Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance, such as leaking containers or improper packaging (this BASIC is also not public on open SMS)
• Driver Fitness, such as driving with an invalid license or being medically unfit to operate a CMV

From violations to a BASIC percentile

A carrier’s CSA-related result is not a single mystery number. In practical terms, SMS builds each BASIC measure, then compares you with similar carriers:

1. Map events to BASICs. Violations and relevant crashes land in the matching BASIC.
2. Apply severity weights. Within a BASIC, violations generally carry a severity weight from 1 (less severe) to 10 (more severe). Severity is relative inside that BASIC, not a universal “point score” across all categories. Verified examples include reckless driving at 10, speeding 11–14 mph over the limit at 7, and speeding in a work or construction zone at 10. Full codes live in FMCSA’s SMS Methodology and Appendix A violations list.
3. Apply time weights. More recent events count more inside the 24-month window. Per the SMS Methodology, violations and inspections in the past six months receive a time weight of 3, those from six to 12 months receive 2, and those from 12 to 24 months receive 1.
4. Normalize and rank. FMCSA accounts for exposure factors such as relevant inspections or miles so carriers with different activity levels can be compared. You receive a percentile rank (0–100) in each BASIC with enough data. Higher percentile = worse peer performance.

SMS results also sit alongside the broader CSA program components: interventions and the separate Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) process. Carriers are ranked on SMS data and assigned percentiles used to prioritize who needs attention first.

Important entity note: Carriers receive SMS BASIC results. FMCSA’s CSA guidance for drivers states that the Driver Safety Measurement System (DSMS) is for enforcement staff only and is not publicly shared the way carrier SMS data is—so drivers do not receive a public CSA score. PSP is a separate program from CSA and does not provide a rating, score, or formal assessment. Use PSP for inspection and crash history when hiring. Only inspections and crashes while a driver operates under a carrier’s authority apply to that carrier’s SMS data.

Why CSA Scores Matter for Fleets

When your BASIC percentiles stay low and below intervention thresholds, you reduce the chance of escalated FMCSA attention. Because SMS results are part of FMCSA’s public safety data ecosystem, outside parties can review carrier safety information when they assess risk. Strong fleet safety performance can support more stable insurance conversations, fewer surprise roadside headaches, and a clearer story for customers and recruits—without a single universal premium formula.

When percentiles climb, FMCSA may prioritize your operation for interventions such as warning letters, investigations, or increased inspection attention. Crossing a threshold is a prioritization signal. It is not the same as an automatic out-of-service order or a formal safety rating of Unsatisfactory.

Treat SMS as an early-warning system for safety management, not as a verdict on whether you are allowed to operate. FMCSA states that unless a motor carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR Part 385, or has otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations, it remains authorized to operate on U.S. roadways.

What Is a Good CSA Score? (Thresholds That Matter)

The main rule for CSA scores is simple: lower is better. A perfect percentile is 0. FMCSA’s public materials define direction and intervention prioritization; they do not publish one average or one official number that defines a “good CSA score.”

What fleets can manage against is clearer: stay below the BASIC Intervention Thresholds that FMCSA uses to prioritize interventions. FMCSA’s SMS methodology sets stricter (lower) thresholds for BASICs with the strongest association to crash risk—Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, and HOS Compliance.

Current general-carrier Intervention Thresholds

For many general carriers under the current SMS methodology:

Passenger carriers and some hazardous materials operations can face stricter thresholds. Always confirm the thresholds shown for your carrier type in SMS and in the latest SMS Methodology.

How to read “good” in practice

• Aim to keep every BASIC percentile well below its threshold, not just barely under it.
• A percentile above a threshold means higher priority for intervention activity. It does not by itself equal a DOT safety rating.
• Track month-to-month SMS updates. Recent violations weigh more, so improvement shows up as older events age out and new clean inspections accumulate.

How to Improve Your CSA Score

Improve your CSA standing with disciplined hiring, maintenance, hours compliance, and behavior-based safety—not with one-off cleanup after an alert.

Use Pre-Employment Screening Program reports in hiring. PSP reports show inspection and crash history for prospective drivers so you can screen for patterns before you hire. FMCSA notes on the PSP site that companies using PSP to screen new hires lower their crash rate by 8% and driver out-of-service rates by 17%, on average, compared with companies that do not use PSP. Per the CSA Drivers FAQ, PSP remains separate from CSA and does not provide a rating, score, or formal assessment.

Stay strict about vehicle maintenance. Preventable defects—such as lighting and tire issues called out in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC—feed SMS when they appear on roadside inspections. Pair inspection readiness with clear defect reporting and repair close-out so small issues do not become repeat violations.

Deploy an AI-powered camera system that supports coaching, not just recording. Generic event-only cameras miss context. Netradyne’s platform is built to analyze driving continuously—including analyzing 100% of drive time—so fleets can coach risky behaviors and recognize safe ones. A Driver Monitoring System for drowsiness and distraction can help flag distraction, drowsiness, seat-belt issues, and phone use. In-cab alerts, managed coaching workflows, and video context give safety teams clearer conversations and stronger documentation for incidents and disputed events. Product capabilities support the behaviors behind Unsafe Driving and related BASICs. They do not guarantee a specific percentile drop.

Keep hours-of-service records clean and accessible. HOS Compliance is a high-priority BASIC for general carriers (65% intervention threshold) and is among the categories FMCSA links more strongly to crash risk. Accurate electronic logging, supporting documents, and coachable fatigue risk matter as much as the device itself. Pair logging discipline with broader fleet compliance solutions so supporting documents stay audit-ready.

Challenge incorrect data when you have evidence. If inspection or crash data looks incomplete or wrong, use DataQs to request a review. Video and maintenance records can support your case. Removal is never automatic; the reviewing agency decides based on the evidence.

Build a prevention culture. Score improvement sticks when coaching is consistent, driver self-coaching tools reinforce habits between manager sessions, recognition is part of the program, and leaders treat SMS trends like operational KPIs—not once-a-year audit panic.

High-Severity CSA Violations to Prioritize

Every violation mapped into SMS carries a severity weight. Per the SMS Methodology, recent violations weigh more than older ones inside the 24-month window. Focus coaching and controls on high-severity, high-frequency patterns rather than memorizing an incomplete point chart.

Examples of higher-severity Unsafe Driving-type issues (severity weights are assigned per violation code within a BASIC):

• Reckless driving — severity weight 10
• Speeding 15+ mph over the limit — severity weight 10
• Speeding in a work or construction zone — severity weight 10
• Speeding 11–14 mph over the limit — severity weight 7
• Seat-belt violations — severity weight 7 (see Appendix A)

Other serious categories fleets should treat as non-negotiable include operating while using a hand-held phone or texting, controlled substances/alcohol violations, and driving when HOS rules have already been broken. For the complete, current list of violation codes and weights, use FMCSA’s Appendix A and SMS Methodology.

Final Thoughts: Keep Your CSA Score Moving in the Right Direction

A “good” CSA score is not a trophy number FMCSA prints for you. It is the ongoing habit of keeping BASIC percentiles low, staying under intervention thresholds, and fixing the behaviors and defects that drive alerts.

Preventive maintenance, careful hiring with PSP, clean HOS practices, fair data challenges through DataQs, and continuous coaching all work together. AI-powered video and coaching tools can help fleets see risk earlier and coach with evidence, which supports the same outcomes SMS measures.

For more Netradyne perspective on managing CSA performance, read CSA scores: why they matter and how to lower yours and everything you need to know about CSA scores.

FAQ: CSA Score Questions Fleets Ask Most

What is a CSA score? CSA is FMCSA’s safety compliance and enforcement program. In everyday fleet language, a “CSA score” usually means your SMS BASIC percentile ranks (0–100, higher = worse). Those ranks help FMCSA decide which carriers to prioritize for interventions. They are not a single official composite grade and not your federal safety rating.

What is a good CSA score? FMCSA does not define one good number. Lower percentiles are better. A practical target is to stay below each BASIC’s Intervention Threshold—for many general carriers, 65% for Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, and HOS Compliance, and 80% for Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Driver Fitness, and HM Compliance, per the SMS Methodology.

What percentile triggers FMCSA intervention priority? When a BASIC percentile meets or exceeds the Intervention Threshold for your carrier type, you are more likely to be prioritized for interventions such as warning letters, inspections, or investigations (SMS Methodology). Thresholds differ for general, passenger, and certain HM operations.

How often is SMS updated? FMCSA updates the SMS about once a month with inspection, crash, and investigation data from roughly the last two years.

How long do violations and crashes stay on SMS results? Violations and crashes generally remain part of SMS calculations for 24 months, consistent with the CSA factsheet lookback. After that window, they no longer factor into the measure the same way.

Do drivers have a CSA score? No. FMCSA explains that SMS measures carrier safety performance, while the Driver Safety Measurement System is for enforcement staff only and is not publicly shared like carrier data—so drivers do not receive a public CSA score. For hiring history, PSP provides inspection and crash records. PSP does not provide a rating, score, or formal assessment and is separate from CSA. Only events while a driver operates under a carrier’s authority count toward that carrier’s SMS.

Is a CSA score the same as a safety rating? No. SMS percentiles prioritize interventions. A safety rating (Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory) comes from a separate Safety Fitness Determination process. You can review safety rating information through FMCSA systems such as SAFER.

Do CSA scores affect insurance? Outside parties can review carrier safety data in SMS when they assess risk. Stronger safety management can support better underwriting conversations, but there is no universal premium formula tied to one CSA number—so avoid treating any percentile as a guaranteed rate quote.

Can I remove a violation from my CSA results? You can request a review through DataQs if you believe data is incomplete or incorrect. Submit supporting evidence. FMCSA or the state may correct the record—or may not. Do not assume every challenge succeeds. Eligible crashes may also go through FMCSA’s separate Crash Preventability Determination Program (CPDP), which can remove Not Preventable crashes from the Crash Indicator BASIC calculation.

How are SMS percentile ranks calculated? Per the SMS Methodology, SMS weighs the number, severity, and recency of relevant violations and crashes, then ranks you against peers with similar activity. Higher ranks mean worse relative performance. Severity weights generally run 1–10 within a BASIC. SMS Methodology time weights assign 3 (past six months), 2 (six to 12 months), and 1 (12 to 24 months) so recent events count more inside the 24-month window. Normalization (for example, inspections or miles) keeps comparisons fairer across fleet sizes. For a simple illustration: a carrier with two violations in three inspections will often look worse than a carrier with three violations in ten inspections, all else equal.

How do I prepare for an investigation? Organize the supporting documents FMCSA and state investigators expect under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Each BASIC maps to different records—driver qualification files, HOS logs and supporting documents, maintenance and DVIR history, drug and alcohol program files, and HM paperwork when applicable. Know your current SMS results, open DataQs, and corrective actions before investigators arrive.

How to Check Your CSA Score in the FMCSA SMS

1. Open the FMCSA SMS website.
2. Search by legal name, DBA, or USDOT number.
3. Review the public information available for your carrier type.
4. Log in with your FMCSA credentials for complete prioritization results, including non-public BASICs such as Crash Indicator.

Public vs login view: Under FAST Act section 5223, FMCSA removed SMS percentiles and alerts from the public website for property carriers. Passenger carrier percentiles and alerts remain more widely available. Inspection, crash, and registration data can still appear publicly. For full carrier-side results, use a secure login.

If you need access credentials, request a USDOT PIN through FMCSA’s SAFER AutoPin request (or start from the SAFER system). For program background and carrier resources, you can also start at the CSA program site.