How BASICs works
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program ranks carriers across seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories — BASICs for short: Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances / Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Driver Fitness.
Scores come from roadside inspections and crash data over the last 24 months, weighted by severity and recency. Each carrier is placed into a peer group based on fleet size and cargo type, then percentile-ranked within that group: 0 is best, 100 is worst.
FMCSA flags carriers whose percentile in any BASIC exceeds a threshold (typically 65 for general, 60 for hazmat, 50 for passenger carriers) as "Alerts." Alerts don't automatically trigger enforcement, but they put a carrier at the front of the queue for compliance reviews and investigations.
What score levels mean in practice
Under 50th percentile: baseline — no active FMCSA intervention indicated. 50th–65th: caution zone; some brokers and shippers use this as a disqualification threshold. Above 65th: Alert status — higher audit probability, likely insurance premium increases, potential disqualification from preferred shipper programs.
BASICs scores update on the 15th of each month. If you're tracking a specific BASIC trending up, it's worth acting before the next monthly refresh tips you into an Alert.
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Start MonitoringFrequently asked questions
How are BASICs scores calculated?
Roadside inspection violations and crashes from the last 24 months are weighted by severity and time, then carriers are peer-ranked within fleet-size and cargo-type groups. Percentile 0 is best; 100 is worst.
What's a good BASICs score?
Under 50th percentile in all seven BASICs is a clean profile. Under 25th percentile reliably beats most shipper/broker safety thresholds.
Can shippers see my BASICs scores?
Yes. FMCSA's SMS (Safety Measurement System) is public. Shippers routinely pull scores during carrier qualification. Some load boards filter carriers by score.
How do I improve a BASIC score?
Scores improve as new inspection/crash data ages out and new, clean data accumulates. The fastest path is to reduce new violations through driver training, preventive maintenance, and fleet-specific risk areas (HOS paperwork, vehicle OOS items, etc.).