SMS (Safety Measurement System)

SMS is the FMCSA public-facing system that displays CSA BASIC percentile scores and alert status for motor carriers.

SMS is searchable at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms by DOT number, MC number, or carrier name. The carrier snapshot shows the publicly displayed BASIC categories, percentile scores, alert status icons, and recent inspection history.

Data refreshes monthly. The scores reflect 24 months of inspection and violation data, ranked within peer cohorts.

Why this matters for freight brokers

SMS is where brokers check CSA scores at booking. The snapshot is the second core vetting artifact alongside the SAFER snapshot.

Related terms

• 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.
• 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.
• 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).

Sources

• FMCSA SMS