Owner-Operator Tools
CSA Score Lookup
Enter your DOT number to pull your FMCSA Compliance, Safety, Accountability scores across all seven BASIC categories. See where you stand and what each score means for your authority and insurance rates.
What Are CSA BASIC Scores?
The FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program tracks every active carrier's safety performance in seven categories called BASICs — Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories. Each score is a percentile ranking from 0 to 100 within a peer group of carriers your size. A score of 75 means 75 percent of similarly sized carriers had fewer violations in that category than you did.
Scores that cross the alert threshold flag your operation for potential FMCSA intervention — warning letters, compliance investigations, and in serious cases, an out-of-service order. They also affect which shippers will work with you and, directly, what you pay for insurance. Enter your DOT number below to see where you stand.
Data pulled from FMCSA's Safety Measurement System. Scores update monthly.
Fetching scores from FMCSA…
The Seven BASIC Categories
Each category is scored independently as a percentile within your peer group. Cross the alert threshold and FMCSA flags your operation for potential intervention — and insurers take note too.
Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes, and failure to obey traffic laws caught during roadside inspections.
Hours-of-service log violations, false log entries, missing ELD data, and documented hours exceeded.
Invalid or wrong-class CDL, expired medical certificate, disqualified driver operating a commercial motor vehicle.
Drug and alcohol violations found during roadside inspections and post-accident testing results.
Brake defects, lighting violations, tire failures, and other mechanical defects documented during inspections.
Two additional categories — Hazardous Materials Compliance and Crash Indicator — are tracked by FMCSA but scores are not publicly displayed for most carriers in the SMS portal.
How CSA Scores Affect Your Insurance
Insurers run FMCSA checks during underwriting. A score above the alert threshold in Unsafe Driving or Vehicle Maintenance is one of the fastest ways to see your primary auto liability premium climb. High Vehicle Maintenance scores can also trigger stricter physical damage requirements or surcharges. Some carriers won't write new policies for operators with two or more categories in alert status.
If your scores are elevated, pull your inspection history in the FMCSA SMS portal, identify the violation patterns driving the score, and address them before your next renewal. The window between inspections and score updates gives you time to correct deficiencies before underwriters see the change.
Which Categories Hurt Your Rate the Most?
Unsafe Driving and Vehicle Maintenance carry the most weight with insurers because they correlate directly with accident frequency and severity. An Unsafe Driving score above 65 alone can push some operators into non-standard markets with significantly higher rates. HOS Compliance comes in second — elevated scores signal systemic operational pressure that insurers treat as a loss predictor, not just a paperwork problem.
Driver Fitness violations are relatively rare, but a single score above 80 can trigger a policy review mid-term. Controlled Substances citations are treated as the most serious — some markets will decline outright regardless of score level if there's a substance violation in the inspection record.
Scores Affecting Your Rate?
Elevated CSA scores directly impact what you pay for primary auto liability. Talk to a specialist who understands your FMCSA record and can place coverage based on your actual profile.
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