What are the 7 FMCSA BASICs used to calculate CSA scores?

The FMCSA uses 7 driving improvement categories to determine a carrier's safety performance relative to other carriers. The Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories or (BASICs) are used to determine a carriers CSA score and to measure how safely the carrier operates.

The BASICs organize data from roadside inspections, including driver and vehicle violations, crash reports from the last two years, and investigation results. Violations adversely affect your company’s SMS results for two years and may prioritize your company for an FMCSA intervention, ranging from warning letters to full Onsite Investigations that could result in an Out-of-Service Order (OOSO) or a change to your company’s safety rating.

Your safety performance and compliance impact your employer’s safety records—and your own. With driver consent, carriers can use FMCSA’s Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) as a pre- employment screening tool to see a driver’s five-year crash and three-year inspection history.

The 7 BASICs are:

• Unsafe Driving
• Crash Indicator
• Hours of Service Compliance
• Vehicle Maintenance
• Controlled Substances & Alcohol
• Hazardous Materials Compliance
• Driver Fitness

Unsafe Driving

The Unsafe Driving BASIC prioritizes interventions for repeated unsafe behaviors, including

• Texting
• Speeding
• Using a hand held cell phone
• Reckless driving
• Improper lane change
• Inattention

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Parts 392 and 397 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs).

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the unsafe driving BASIC

Common unsafe driving violations are

Violations recorded on a roadside inspection report are used in the SMS, regardless of whether a State officer also issues a citation (i.e., ticket) or a verbal warning. If a driver or carrier receives violations on a roadside inspection report, they can request a review of the data through DataQs. The SMS does not use State-issued citations unless they are issued in conjunction with a roadside inspection report.

Crash Indicator

State-reported crashes from the last two years are collected in this BASIC to help identify patterns of high crash involvement and the behavior or set of behaviors that contributed to the crash. All crashes involving commercial motor vehicles, as defined in 49 CFR 390.5, are reportable if they result in a fatality or injury or require a vehicle to be transported from the crash scene, regardless of the carrier’s or driver’s role in the crash.

Hours-of-Service Compliance (HOS)

The HOS regulations make roads safer by requiring rest for all large truck and bus drivers to ensure that they are alert, awake, and able to respond quickly.

Hours-of-service violations are some of the most impactful violations on a carriers CSA score. Many of these violations are tied around the use of the driver's electronic logging device (ELD)

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Parts 392 and 395 of the FMCSRs.

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the Hours-of-service BASIC

Common hours-of-service violations are

Vehicle Maintenance

Vehicle maintenance violations are related to the quality of the equipment the CMV that the driver is using. Drivers need to conduct pre- and post-trip inspections (commonly referred to as DVIRs), record vehicle defects, and repair them prior to operating the vehicle.

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Parts 392, 393, and 396 of the FMCSRs.

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the vehicle maintenance BASIC

Common vehicle maintenance violations are

Controlled Substances & Alcohol

Alcohol, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter and prescription medication misuse impair driving abilities and endanger your safety and the safety of those on the road with you. Having containers of alcoholic beverages in your cab, whether open or not, is a violation. These types of violations will dramatically impact CSA scores and in some cases can lead to jail time.

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Parts 382 and 392 of the FMCSRs.

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the controlled substance and alcohol BASIC

Common controlled substances & alcohol violations

Hazardous Materials Compliance

The hazardous materials Compliance BASIC includes regulations that require special attention, from how to properly package, mark, label, placard, and load HM to understanding regulations for tank specification testing, loading/unloading, attendance, and leakage.

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Part 397 of the FMCSRs and 49 CFR Parts 171, 172, 173, 177, 178, 179, and 180 of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMRs).

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the hazardous materials violation BASIC

Common Hazardous Materials violations are

Driver Fitness

Motor carriers are responsible for making sure driver qualification files are complete and current. Required files for each and every driver include valid commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs), medical certificates, State driving records, annual reviews of driving records, and employment applications. The Driver Fitness BASIC does not consider body mass index (BMI), weight, or neck size.

Which Federal regulations relate to this BASIC?
49 CFR Parts 383 and 391 of the FMCSRs.

Click here for the complete list of violations that fall under the driver fitness BASIC

Common driver fitness violations are