CSA scores

CSA scores are the percentile-ranked performance measures FMCSA publishes for motor carriers across seven behavioral categories called BASICs, drawn from roadside inspection and crash data.

CSA stands for Compliance, Safety, Accountability. FMCSA rolled it out in 2010 to replace SafeStat. Scores reflect 24 months of inspection and violation data, ranked within peer cohorts grouped by exposure (fleet size, miles, freight type).

Alert status (the visible flag indicator) applies above the 65th percentile for general property freight, 60th percentile for hazmat and passenger carriers. The Controlled Substances BASIC has a stricter effective threshold.

Why this matters for freight brokers

CSA scores are litigation-critical. Plaintiff's counsel in a negligent-hiring case asks whether the broker checked CSA at booking and what the alert status was at the moment of the booking decision.

Related terms

• BASIC categories — BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) are the seven categories FMCSA uses to score motor carrier safety performance in the CSA program.
• Alert status (CSA) — Alert status is the FMCSA SMS flag indicating a carrier's percentile score in a BASIC category exceeds the threshold for that carrier's freight class (65th percentile for general property, 60th for hazmat and passenger).
• SMS (Safety Measurement System) — SMS is the FMCSA public-facing system that displays CSA BASIC percentile scores and alert status for motor carriers.
• SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) — SAFER is the FMCSA public-facing carrier lookup system that displays motor carrier registration, operating authority status, insurance, and safety rating.
• FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) — FMCSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates motor carriers, freight brokers, and freight forwarders operating in interstate commerce.

Sources

• FMCSA CSA program
• FMCSA SMS