A common mistake in carrier screening is treating a CSA percentile as a carrier's overall safety score. A dispatcher sees 78 in Vehicle Maintenance, assumes the carrier is unsafe, and moves to the next truck. Another sees no percentile and assumes the carrier has a clean record. Neither decision tells the full story.
How are CSA scores calculated? FMCSA uses roadside inspection violations, reportable crashes, and other safety data in its Safety Measurement System (SMS). It assigns severity and time weights to applicable violations, adjusts the results for factors such as inspections or operating exposure, and ranks qualifying carriers against comparable carriers. The resulting rankings are called BASIC percentiles.
For brokers and dispatchers, the useful question is not simply whether a percentile is high. It is what caused that result, whether the problems are recent, and whether the carrier is suitable for the load being offered.
How Are CSA Scores Calculated in FMCSA's Safety Measurement System?
CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability, FMCSA's safety compliance and enforcement program.
The Safety Measurement System is the agency's tool for identifying carriers that may need additional safety oversight.
There is no single official CSA score that combines every aspect of a trucking company's safety performance.
Instead, SMS evaluates carriers across seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, commonly called BASICs.
Each BASIC examines a particular part of trucking safety, such as unsafe driving, vehicle maintenance, or hours-of-service compliance.
The calculation follows four main stages.
Step 1: Collect Safety Data From the Previous 24 Months
FMCSA generally evaluates roadside inspection violations and qualifying reportable crashes from a rolling 24-month period.
The information can include:
-
Driver violations recorded during roadside inspections.
-
Vehicle inspection violations involving brakes, tires, lights, or other equipment.
-
Inspections completed without violations in a particular BASIC.
-
State-reported crashes meeting federal reporting criteria.
-
Motor carrier information about power units and vehicle miles traveled.
-
Certain acute or critical violations identified during FMCSA investigations.
Investigation findings have separate rules and can affect a carrier's intervention status even when a BASIC percentile is not the reason for the alert.
Not every traffic ticket becomes a CSA violation.
A speeding violation documented during a qualifying roadside inspection can contribute to SMS.
A traffic ticket issued outside that inspection process does not automatically enter the same calculation.
This distinction matters when a carrier says a ticket was dismissed or that an inspection report contains incorrect information.
The dispatcher should examine the official inspection record rather than relying on a verbal explanation.
For brokers: Check the dates on the available inspection reports. A carrier with several recent violations presents a different review problem from one whose recorded violations occurred nearly two years ago.
Step 2: Apply Violation Severity and Time Weights
SMS assigns applicable roadside inspection violations severity weights based on their relationship to crash risk.
The standard severity scale runs from 1 to 10.
A weight of 10 indicates greater relative concern within that BASIC than a weight of 1.
Some violations involving an out-of-service condition receive an additional severity weight of 2.
FMCSA also applies a cap of 30 to the combined severity weights from one inspection in a particular BASIC before multiplying by the time weight.
Severity weights are category-specific. A weight in Vehicle Maintenance should not automatically be compared with the same weight in Driver Fitness.
After severity weighting, FMCSA considers when the safety event occurred.
| Age of violation or relevant event | Time weight |
|---|---|
| Within the previous 6 months | 3 |
| More than 6 months and up to 12 months | 2 |
| More than 12 months but within 24 months | 1 |
A violation recorded three months ago generally receives three times the time weight of an otherwise identical violation recorded eighteen months ago.
The actual violation weight does not change simply because the event gets older. Its contribution to the measure changes because the time multiplier decreases.
Consider a carrier with an hours-of-service violation from the previous month.
That violation has a greater influence on its current BASIC measure than the same violation would have after eighteen months, assuming the other relevant factors remain unchanged.
What brokers should check: Focus on the frequency and recency of violations, not just the total number listed on the carrier's profile.
Step 3: Adjust for Carrier Size or Inspection Exposure
Raw violation totals can be misleading.
A carrier operating hundreds of trucks has more opportunities to receive roadside inspections than a carrier operating three trucks.
SMS accounts for differences in exposure, although the method varies by BASIC.
Inspection-based categories generally use the number of relevant inspections, adjusted for when those inspections occurred.
For example:
-
Hours-of-Service Compliance uses relevant driver inspections.
-
Driver Fitness uses relevant driver inspections.
-
Vehicle Maintenance uses relevant vehicle inspections.
-
Unsafe Driving incorporates power units and vehicle miles traveled through its utilization calculation.
-
Crash Indicator also accounts for carrier size and mileage-related information.
These adjustments help FMCSA evaluate performance without relying entirely on violation counts.
Consider two maintenance records.
One carrier has repeated brake and tire violations across a relatively small group of vehicle inspections.
Another has violations recorded across a much larger number of inspections, many of which found no relevant problems.
The total violation count alone cannot tell you which carrier has the worse Vehicle Maintenance measure.
You need the applicable severity weights, inspection dates, and inspection exposure.
A clean inspection matters in an inspection-based BASIC because it contributes to the inspection total without adding a violation to that category.
However, the inspection must be relevant to the BASIC being calculated.
A clean vehicle inspection does not necessarily affect the Hours-of-Service measure in the same way it affects Vehicle Maintenance.
Step 4: Convert the BASIC Measure Into a Percentile
Once FMCSA calculates the carrier's performance measure, it determines whether enough qualifying data exists to assign a percentile.
Carriers are divided into safety event groups.
Depending on the BASIC, those groups use factors such as the number of relevant inspections, inspections with violations, or reportable crashes.
The system ranks eligible carriers within their comparison groups.
The rankings become percentiles ranging from 0 to 100.
Lower CSA percentiles indicate better relative performance. Higher percentiles indicate worse relative performance.
A percentile of 85 does not mean that 85% of the carrier's trucks are unsafe.
It also does not mean there is an 85% probability that the carrier will cause a crash.
It indicates how the carrier's calculated BASIC measure compares with other carriers in the applicable safety event group.
For example, a carrier with an Unsafe Driving percentile of 85 has a relatively unfavorable result compared with eligible carriers in its group.
That is a reason to inspect the supporting driving violations.
It is not a substitute for reading the record.
FMCSA documents the complete calculation in its official SMS methodology.
CSA Points Guide: A Practical Calculation Example
A CSA points guide is most useful when it separates three things that are often confused:
-
Violation severity weights.
-
The calculated BASIC measure.
-
The final BASIC percentile.
These are different values.
A dispatcher cannot add the severity weights from a carrier's inspection history and call the total its CSA percentile.
The time period, exposure adjustment, and comparison group still matter.
Example: Calculating an Hours-of-Service BASIC Measure
The Hours-of-Service Compliance BASIC is a useful example because its calculation uses applicable violation weights and relevant driver inspections.
The simplified formula is:
BASIC measure = Total time-weighted violation severity ÷ Total time-weighted relevant inspections
To see how the arithmetic works, consider an illustrative inspection record.
Assume the record contains:
-
Six relevant driver inspections within the previous six months.
-
Two relevant driver inspections older than twelve months but still within the 24-month period.
-
One recent applicable violation with an assumed severity weight of 6.
-
One older applicable violation with an assumed severity weight of 2.
These are hypothetical inputs used only to demonstrate the formula. They are not actual results from a named carrier or an FMCSA inspection.
First, calculate the weighted violation total.
Recent violation:
6 × 3 = 18
Older violation:
2 × 1 = 2
Total weighted violations:
18 + 2 = 20
Next, calculate the weighted inspection total.
Six recent inspections:
6 × 3 = 18
Two older inspections:
2 × 1 = 2
Total weighted inspections:
18 + 2 = 20
The simplified BASIC measure is:
20 ÷ 20 = 1.0
That number represents the calculated measure for this example.
It is not the carrier's CSA percentile.
FMCSA must still apply the appropriate data sufficiency rules and compare the eligible carrier with others in its safety event group.
Other inspection details and methodology rules can also affect a real carrier's calculation.
What Happens When the Carrier Receives Another Clean Inspection?
Use the same illustrative record.
Suppose the carrier completes one additional relevant driver inspection without an Hours-of-Service violation.
If the new inspection falls within the most recent six-month period, it contributes a time weight of 3 to the inspection total.
The violation total stays at 20.
The inspection total increases from 20 to 23.
The revised measure becomes:
20 ÷ 23 = approximately 0.87
The measure improves because the carrier has another relevant inspection without an applicable violation.
That does not guarantee a particular change in percentile.
The final ranking also depends on how other eligible carriers in the comparison group perform.
The important distinction: Clean inspections can improve certain BASIC measures, but there is no fixed number of clean inspections that guarantees a particular CSA percentile.
Why Adding CSA Violation Points Gives the Wrong Answer
A common spreadsheet mistake is adding every severity weight from the previous 24 months.
That total leaves out essential parts of SMS.
It does not account for:
-
Whether violations occurred recently or nearly two years ago.
-
Which BASIC each violation belongs to.
-
Relevant inspections without violations.
-
The applicable out-of-service severity adjustment.
-
Exposure factors used in certain BASICs.
-
The carrier's safety event group.
-
Whether the carrier meets the data sufficiency requirements.
It can also combine unrelated categories.
For example, adding an Hours-of-Service violation weight to a Vehicle Maintenance violation weight does not produce a meaningful overall federal safety score.
If a dispatcher needs to explain a concerning percentile to a carrier, the better approach is to open the applicable BASIC details and identify the violations contributing to that specific measure.
Understanding the Seven FMCSA BASICs
SMS organizes safety information into seven categories.
For most general property carriers, FMCSA uses the intervention thresholds shown below.
| BASIC category | What brokers should examine | General carrier threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Unsafe Driving | Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes and related violations | 65% |
| Crash Indicator | Qualifying reportable crash involvement | 65% |
| Hours-of-Service Compliance | Driving-hour violations, fatigue and recordkeeping problems | 65% |
| Vehicle Maintenance | Brakes, tires, lighting, load securement and equipment condition | 80% |
| Controlled Substances/Alcohol | Drug and alcohol-related compliance violations | 80% |
| Hazardous Materials Compliance | Hazardous materials handling and transportation requirements | 80% |
| Driver Fitness | Licensing, qualifications and medical certification compliance | 80% |
These percentages are FMCSA intervention thresholds.
They are not mandatory acceptance limits established for every freight brokerage.
Passenger carriers and qualifying hazardous materials carriers are subject to different thresholds in several categories.
Also, the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASIC percentiles are not publicly displayed.
A broker can still examine the crash and inspection information that FMCSA makes publicly available.
Why the Thresholds Are Different
FMCSA uses lower intervention thresholds for categories that have stronger associations with crash risk.
For most general property carriers, the threshold is 65 for Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, and Hours-of-Service Compliance.
It is 80 for Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Driver Fitness, and Hazardous Materials Compliance.
For a general carrier, an Unsafe Driving percentile of 70 crosses its threshold.
A Vehicle Maintenance percentile of 70 does not cross that category's general threshold.
Those two results should not be treated as equivalent.
An intervention indicator may lead FMCSA to prioritize the carrier for monitoring, a warning letter, or an investigation.
Crossing a BASIC intervention threshold does not automatically revoke operating authority or place the carrier out of service.
Brokers must verify current authority and any applicable out-of-service order separately.
What Is a Good CSA Score for a Trucking Company?
When a dispatcher asks what is a good CSA score, the practical answer is that lower BASIC percentiles are generally preferable, but there is no single passing score.
A carrier can perform well in Vehicle Maintenance and poorly in Unsafe Driving.
Another may have very limited inspection history and no published percentile.
Neither should be evaluated through one number alone.
What Lower CSA Percentiles Mean
A lower percentile means the carrier performs more favorably relative to other eligible carriers in the relevant safety event group.
Consider a carrier whose publicly available BASIC results are all below their applicable intervention thresholds.
That is a more favorable SMS picture than one showing several categories above those thresholds.
Still, check the supporting information.
Ask:
-
How many relevant inspections support the percentile?
-
Did the carrier receive any recent out-of-service violations?
-
Are violations concentrated in one area?
-
Has the pattern changed over the past several SMS updates?
A carrier with a low percentile can still have inspection violations.
Likewise, a missing percentile does not mean the carrier has a flawless record.
Good relative performance is useful evidence, not a guarantee that the next shipment will be problem-free.
What Is a High CSA Score?
A high CSA score usually refers to a high BASIC percentile.
The concern becomes more significant when the percentile meets or exceeds the intervention threshold for that category and carrier type.
For example, an Unsafe Driving percentile of 82 exceeds the general property carrier threshold of 65.
A broker reviewing that carrier should open the Unsafe Driving detail page.
Look for the specific violations.
Are speeding violations appearing repeatedly?
Were they recorded during recent inspections?
Are there additional unsafe driving behaviors, such as improper lane changes or following too closely?
A pattern of recent violations provides more useful information than the percentile by itself.
The same applies to Vehicle Maintenance.
Repeated brake-related out-of-service findings deserve careful attention because they concern equipment condition.
A dispatcher should not treat them the same as a single older documentation-related violation.
Why a Percentile of 70 Is Not Always Worse Than 60
The BASIC matters.
For a general property carrier, a percentile of 70 in Unsafe Driving is above the applicable intervention threshold.
A percentile of 60 in Vehicle Maintenance is below its threshold.
That does not prove that the first carrier is unsafe and the second is safe.
It means the two measures are being evaluated against different category thresholds.
The carriers may also belong to different safety event groups.
Compare each percentile within its own BASIC, then inspect the underlying records.
Do not average the seven categories or create a ranking based on the highest number alone.
How to Check CSA Percentiles Before Booking a Carrier
Brokers do not need to calculate SMS percentiles manually.
FMCSA publishes eligible public BASIC information and supporting inspection and safety records.
The steps below help a dispatcher check the relevant information before accepting a carrier.
Step 1: Confirm the Correct USDOT Number
Begin with the carrier's USDOT number.
If the dispatcher provides an MC number, use a DOT or MC number lookup to identify the corresponding motor carrier.
Carrier90's free DOT and MC number lookup can help you find carrier identity, safety, and compliance information before examining the detailed FMCSA records.
Compare the legal business name, USDOT number, and available registration details.
If the MC number identifies one trucking company but the dispatcher's paperwork identifies another, resolve the discrepancy before booking.
Remember that an MC number is not proof that the person communicating with you actually represents the registered carrier.
Step 2: Open FMCSA's Safety Measurement System
Go to the FMCSA Safety Measurement System.
Find the carrier search field and enter the USDOT number.
Open the matching carrier profile.
Check that the legal business name matches the carrier you intend to use.
On the carrier overview page, review the available BASIC prioritization indicators.
The overview may show an intervention indicator rather than every individual percentile.
To see an eligible published percentile, open the specific BASIC detail page.
Also check the data snapshot date.
SMS is updated monthly, so the published record may not yet include an inspection completed very recently.
Step 3: Review the BASIC Status
Examine each publicly available BASIC.
Do not stop after checking Unsafe Driving.
For each category, determine:
-
Whether a percentile is available.
-
Whether an intervention indicator appears.
-
Whether the percentile meets or exceeds the applicable threshold.
-
Whether the carrier has enough qualifying data for a percentile.
-
Whether relevant acute or critical investigation findings appear.
Pay particular attention to categories related to the proposed shipment.
For example, recent Vehicle Maintenance violations involving tires, brakes, or load securement deserve careful review before arranging a heavy or equipment-sensitive shipment.
Hours-of-Service violations deserve attention when evaluating carriers for time-sensitive deliveries.
Neither category tells you everything about the specific truck or driver assigned to the load.
Step 4: Open the BASIC Detail Page
Select the BASIC that needs further review.
Read the underlying information instead of relying on the color or intervention indicator.
Look at the violation descriptions and inspection dates.
Identify whether the same type of violation appears repeatedly.
For Vehicle Maintenance, distinguish between equipment defects and other compliance issues.
For Hours-of-Service Compliance, determine whether the record shows repeated driving-hour violations, log-related problems, or other issues.
Check how many relevant inspections are available.
A percentile supported by limited data requires different judgment from one supported by a long inspection history.
If the carrier disputes a violation, ask for enough information to understand the issue. Check the official record rather than accepting an unsupported statement that FMCSA made a mistake.
Step 5: Compare the Result With the Carrier's Current Status
CSA data does not replace a current authority and insurance check.
Open the SAFER Company Snapshot to review available carrier identification, safety rating, and out-of-service information.
Use FMCSA's Motus registration system for current registration and operating authority information.
Motus is FMCSA's modernized registration system. Older Licensing and Insurance records may not reflect newer Motus filings, so do not rely on historical information as proof of current authority or coverage.
Review the insurance information relevant to the carrier and confirm that it meets the proposed shipment's requirements.
For cargo coverage or policy details not established by federal filing information, obtain the necessary confirmation through the appropriate insurer or independently verified insurance contact.
A favorable BASIC percentile does not make a carrier eligible to haul freight if it lacks the required operating authority.
Step 6: Save the Review in Your Carrier File
After reviewing the carrier, record the result.
At minimum, retain:
-
Legal carrier name and USDOT number.
-
MC number, when applicable.
-
Date of the SMS review.
-
Available BASIC percentiles and intervention indicators.
-
Significant recent violations requiring follow-up.
-
Current authority and insurance verification outcome.
-
Name of the employee who completed the review.
-
Final booking decision.
Save the relevant records or review notes in your carrier file according to your brokerage's procedures.
For repeat carriers, compare the new information with the previous review.
That is more useful than repeatedly checking the same profile without recording what changed.
Why CSA Percentiles Change From Month to Month
A carrier can see its percentile change without receiving another violation.
That often confuses smaller operators who expect the score to remain unchanged until something new happens.
SMS is a rolling measurement system.
FMCSA generally updates the published results monthly, and several factors can change the calculation.
Older Violations Receive Less Weight
Recent violations receive greater time weight.
As a violation ages, its multiplier decreases.
An applicable violation within the past six months receives a time weight of 3.
After six months, that weight decreases to 2.
Once the violation is older than twelve months but remains within the 24-month period, its weight becomes 1.
After it passes outside the SMS measurement window, it no longer contributes to that measure.
The violation may still remain available in other records.
It is the SMS calculation that changes.
New Inspections Change the Exposure Measure
A new roadside inspection can affect an inspection-based BASIC even when no violation is recorded.
That inspection contributes to the relevant exposure calculation.
If the carrier receives another violation, both the violation's severity and the inspection itself can affect the measure.
For a carrier with relatively few inspections, an additional qualifying inspection may have a noticeable influence on the calculation.
For one with a much larger inspection history, the same event may have a different effect.
This is one reason brokers should examine inspection counts rather than comparing raw violations.
Other Carriers Change Their Performance
CSA percentiles are relative.
A carrier's percentile depends partly on the measures of other carriers in the same safety event group.
If those carriers' results change, the ranking can shift even when the first carrier's underlying measure changes little.
This also explains why an improvement in a BASIC measure does not always produce a predictable percentile decrease.
The measure reflects the carrier's calculated performance.
The percentile reflects its position among eligible peers.
Updated Carrier Information Can Affect Calculations
Certain BASICs use power units and vehicle miles traveled when adjusting for operational exposure.
Changes in the registration information used by SMS can therefore influence the relevant calculations.
Carriers should maintain accurate company information in FMCSA's registration system.
Brokers should also watch for registration details that appear inconsistent with the operation being offered.
For example, a carrier presenting a substantial fleet should be able to explain significant discrepancies between its stated equipment and its available registration information.
A discrepancy is a reason to verify, not automatic evidence of fraud.
Corrected Inspection Data Can Change Results
Roadside inspection records are not immune to errors.
A violation may be associated with the wrong carrier, contain incorrect identifying information, or reflect information later corrected through an official review.
Motor carriers can submit eligible data review requests through FMCSA's DataQs system.
DataQs allows a carrier to request review of certain inspection, crash, or other safety records.
The responsible agency reviews the submission and determines whether a correction is warranted.
Submitting a request does not automatically remove a violation.
For a broker, the distinction is straightforward.
A carrier saying it intends to dispute an inspection is different from an official record showing that the data has been corrected.
Common Misconceptions About CSA Scores
Several assumptions can produce poor screening decisions, particularly when a dispatcher has only a few minutes to cover a load.
Misconception 1: Every Carrier Has One CSA Score
FMCSA does not publish one combined CSA score for all seven BASICs.
Each category measures a different part of safety performance.
A carrier can have a low Hours-of-Service percentile and a much higher Vehicle Maintenance percentile.
A single average would hide that difference.
When evaluating a carrier, keep the individual categories separate and look at the specific compliance problems they represent.
Misconception 2: A High Percentile Automatically Means the Carrier Cannot Operate
An intervention threshold is not the same as an out-of-service order.
A high BASIC percentile may result in FMCSA prioritizing the carrier for further attention.
It does not automatically cancel the carrier's federal operating authority.
If your brokerage is deciding whether a carrier can legally perform a shipment, verify the current operating authority, applicable out-of-service status, and insurance requirements.
Then evaluate the safety history under your own carrier selection procedures.
Misconception 3: No Displayed Percentile Means a Perfect Safety Record
Smaller carriers may have limited inspection activity.
If there is insufficient qualifying data, FMCSA may not assign a percentile in a particular BASIC.
That does not mean there have never been safety problems.
It also does not mean the carrier is necessarily unsafe.
Review the available inspection history and perform the same authority, identity, and insurance checks required for other carriers.
Avoid automatically rejecting a small trucking company simply because its SMS profile contains less information than a large fleet's profile.
Misconception 4: CSA Percentiles Show Which Carrier Caused a Crash
Crash involvement is not automatically the same as crash responsibility.
FMCSA's Crash Indicator BASIC uses qualifying reportable crash information, subject to the applicable methodology rules.
Under the Crash Preventability Determination Program, eligible crashes can be reviewed.
When FMCSA determines that a qualifying crash was not preventable, it is excluded from the carrier's Crash Indicator measure and percentile.
For a broker, a crash record should prompt review of the available facts rather than an automatic assumption that the trucking company caused the incident.
Misconception 5: CSA Scores Identify Freight Fraud
CSA is a safety measurement system.
It does not verify that an email sender is the real carrier, that a dispatcher is authorized to book freight, or that the truck appearing at pickup belongs to the contracted motor carrier.
A legitimate trucking company with favorable safety results can still have its identity impersonated.
Before releasing pickup information, independently confirm the booking contact and make sure the correct carrier is accepting the load.
Keep safety verification and identity verification as separate parts of the process.
How Brokers Should Use CSA Results in Real Booking Decisions
The best use of CSA information is to identify what needs closer attention before assigning freight.
A high percentile should trigger a review of the supporting information.
It should not automatically replace your brokerage's written carrier qualification procedures.
Scenario 1: An Elevated Unsafe Driving Percentile
A carrier offers capacity for a long-distance dry van shipment.
During the review, the dispatcher finds an Unsafe Driving percentile above the applicable intervention threshold.
The next step is to open the BASIC detail page.
If the record shows repeated recent speeding or other unsafe driving violations, the brokerage has a concrete reason to escalate the safety review.
The reviewer can examine the relevant dates, current compliance information, and any corrective information provided by the carrier.
Record the findings before making a booking decision.
Avoid treating a verbal promise to improve as a substitute for reviewing the official safety record.
Scenario 2: An Older Vehicle Maintenance Problem
A carrier's inspection history contains an older brake-related violation.
The dispatcher should check whether later inspection records show similar problems.
If the relevant issue has not appeared again, that provides useful context.
However, subsequent clean inspections do not establish the mechanical condition of every truck in the fleet.
If equipment condition remains a concern, ask the carrier to confirm that the truck proposed for the load is properly maintained and suitable for the shipment.
Do not assume an old violation proves a current defect.
Do not assume its age makes it irrelevant either.
Scenario 3: A Small Carrier With Limited Inspection History
A small carrier offers a truck for a routine shipment.
Its profile contains only a few roadside inspections, and several BASICs do not display percentiles.
That is not unusual for an operation with limited inspection exposure.
Instead of inventing a safety rating from missing data, concentrate on what can be verified.
Check:
-
Current operating authority.
-
Required insurance coverage.
-
Legal company identity.
-
Available safety rating and inspection history.
-
Dispatch contact authorization.
-
Equipment and driver details relevant to the load.
A carrier with limited SMS history should still be evaluated fairly against your brokerage's documented requirements.
A Practical CSA Review Checklist
Use this checklist when screening a new carrier or rechecking an existing one.
-
Confirm the carrier. Match its USDOT number and legal business name to the company offering the truck.
-
Check the SMS snapshot date. Understand how current the published BASIC information is.
-
Review available BASIC percentiles. Identify any categories meeting or exceeding intervention thresholds.
-
Open the relevant violation records. Look for recent, repeated, or out-of-service findings.
-
Review inspection exposure. Determine whether the results are supported by substantial or limited inspection history.
-
Check current operating authority. Confirm the carrier is authorized for the proposed transportation.
-
Verify insurance requirements. Review the applicable federal filings and independently confirm additional coverage where needed.
-
Authenticate the booking contact. Make sure the dispatcher represents the registered carrier.
-
Document the decision. Save the results and any unresolved questions before confirming the load.
For repeat carriers, do not rely indefinitely on the original onboarding review.
Recheck the relevant records before assigning freight, particularly when information has changed or the carrier has not hauled for your brokerage recently.
FAQ
What Is a Good CSA Score for a Trucking Company?
A good CSA result generally means lower BASIC percentiles and no significant unresolved safety concerns in the available records. For most general property carriers, FMCSA's intervention thresholds are 65 for Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, and Hours-of-Service Compliance, and 80 for the other BASICs. A percentile below its threshold is favorable, but it does not guarantee safe operation.
What Is Considered a High CSA Score?
A high CSA score usually refers to a BASIC percentile at or above the applicable FMCSA intervention threshold. For example, an Unsafe Driving percentile of 75 exceeds the general property carrier threshold of 65. Brokers should examine the underlying violations and current carrier status rather than rejecting the carrier based on the percentile alone.
How Long Do CSA Violations Stay on a Carrier's Score?
SMS generally uses applicable roadside inspection violations from the previous 24 months. Recent violations receive higher time weights, and their influence decreases as they age. A violation can remain in other official records even after it is no longer used in the SMS calculation.
Can a Carrier Have No CSA Score?
Yes. A carrier may lack a published BASIC percentile because it does not have enough qualifying safety data or does not meet other SMS percentile assignment requirements. This can occur with smaller carriers that have limited roadside inspection histories. Missing percentiles should not be interpreted as proof of either good or poor safety performance.
How Often Are CSA Scores Updated?
FMCSA generally updates SMS results monthly. The published information reflects a particular data snapshot, so a very recent inspection may not yet appear. Check the snapshot date when reviewing a carrier, particularly if the company has recently reported a safety issue or disputed an inspection.
Are CSA Scores the Same as FMCSA Safety Ratings?
No. CSA BASIC percentiles measure relative safety performance through SMS, while FMCSA safety ratings are separate regulatory determinations. A carrier can have a high BASIC percentile without an Unsatisfactory federal safety rating. Brokers should check both where available and confirm current operating authority before booking.
Before accepting the next truck, focus on three things: the BASIC percentile, the violations behind it, and how recently those violations occurred. Then confirm the carrier's authority, insurance, and identity through the appropriate records.
That gives the dispatcher a defensible reason to approve the carrier, request further information, or hold the booking, without mistaking a CSA percentile for a complete safety verdict.
