How to check and understand your CSA scores

The Compliance Safety and Accountability (CSA) system is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program. The program was designed to improve safety and prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. CSA uses data from roadside inspections and crash reports from the last two years in determining scores, which are organized in 7 categories:

• Unsafe driving
• Hours of service compliance
• Driver fitness
• Controlled substance or alcohol violations
• Vehicle maintenance
• Hazardous material compliance
• Crash indicators

Using the 7 BASIC categories, the CSA groups carriers with the same range of safety events together. Carriers are ranked and assigned a percentile from 0-100, reflecting the percentage of trucking companies that are scoring better in that specific category. For example, a rating of 60 would mean 60 percent of companies in your rating group are scoring higher than your company. The scores are defined as:

• 0-49 Satisfactory
• 50-74 Conditional
• 75-100 Unsatisfactory

The FMCSA has a website called SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) where carriers can go to search their company by name or DOT number. Once inside the company profile, select SMS Results to see your company’s CSA scores. (Note: In order to see your company’s detailed CSA scores, a DOT pin is required. All carriers receive this DOT pin with their DOT number. If you forget or do not know your DOT pin, it can be easily obtained by contacting the FMCSA.)

Carriers should frequent this site. On the last Friday of every month the system is updated and carriers can see if trends for their company are moving in the right direction.

Learn more about your CSA scores, what they are, how they are calculated and how to lower them.

You can also gather more information from the FMCSA Driver Safety Education Center or visit the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System.

Contributed by DOT Consultant and Account Manager, Rob Duvall