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CSA / SMS
Starter page for CSA BASICs, SMS concepts, and future scorecard ideas.
What Is CSA / SMS?
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) is FMCSA's enforcement and compliance program. The Safety Measurement System (SMS) is the data engine behind it: it scores motor carriers using roadside inspection results, crash reports, and investigation findings from the prior 24 months, then flags carriers whose scores stand out against similar carriers for follow-up — anything from a warning letter to a full compliance review.
The Seven BASIC Categories
| BASIC | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Unsafe Driving | Speeding, reckless or improper lane changes, and other risky driving behavior. |
| Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance | Driving-time and duty-status violations tied to fatigue management. |
| Driver Fitness | Valid license class, medical certification, and driver qualification issues. |
| Controlled Substances / Alcohol | Impairment-related violations found during inspections or investigations. |
| Vehicle Maintenance | Mechanical defects, out-of-service equipment violations, and load securement. |
| Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance | Unsafe handling, packaging, or placarding of hazardous materials shipments. |
| Crash Indicator | Frequency and severity of a carrier's DOT-recordable crash history. |
How Intervention Thresholds Work
Each BASIC is scored as a percentile (0–100) against carriers with a similar number of safety events, with 100 being the worst performance. When a carrier's percentile in a given BASIC crosses FMCSA's threshold for that category, the carrier becomes an intervention candidate — typically starting with a warning letter and the opportunity to self-correct before anything more serious follows. Thresholds are set stricter (i.e., lower) for passenger and hazardous materials carriers, since a safety issue in those operations carries more severe potential consequences.
Exact threshold percentiles are reviewed and adjusted by FMCSA periodically, so rather than quote numbers that can go stale, check current thresholds directly on FMCSA's own site before relying on them:
Frequently Asked
How often is SMS data updated?
Can I dispute a violation showing up on my record?
Does my CSA/SMS score affect insurance rates?
Related Topics
This page is general information, not legal advice, and CSA/SMS methodology and thresholds are set by FMCSA and subject to change — confirm current details at csa.fmcsa.dot.gov before making compliance decisions.