The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) established the Compliance, Safety, Accountability project in 2010. (CSA). This program was established for preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities related to any commercial vehicles that operate in the US. Making the roads safer for both drivers and passengers is the objective of this program.

CSA can also affect the insurance cost of carriers. Let’s learn more about CSA and this can affect the carrier insurance cost.

What are the Components of the CSA?

There are three main components of the CSA. They are as follows:

1. Intervention
2. The Safety Measurement System (SMS)
3. A Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) rating system

Factors that Contribute to a CSA Score

CSA scores are determined by several factors. These factors come under the 7 Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) that are part of the FMCSA’s program. The BASICS include:

• Unsafe driving- Speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, or inappropriate lane change are all examples of unsafe commercial vehicle operation.
• Hours of Service (HoS) Compliance- In case of being unwell or exhausted and failing to keep duty status records for six months while operating a commercial vehicle.
• Crash indicator- This BASIC category covers historical patterns of severity and frequency of crash participation based on government crash data.
• Controlled substances/alcohol- Being under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol while operating a commercial vehicle.
• Vehicle maintenance- Inadequate commercial vehicle maintenance, such as incorrect load securement or malfunctioning brakes or lights.
• Driver fitness- Driving a commercial vehicle while unfit, such as not having a valid CDL or failing to update driver qualification files.
• Hazardous material compliance- Unsafely handling hazardous items, such as having leaking containers and failing to designate hazardous goods as such.

How is CSA Score Calculated?

There are specific data that comprise the CSA scorecard. Various data are collected from states and various factors are assessed for road safety. These factors include:

• The sequence of safety violations, with more recent instances given greater weight
• The amount, severity, and frequency of safety violations and inspections
• The size and quantity of vehicle miles traveled by an operator’s fleet
• The discovery of “Acute and Critical Violations” during investigations

SMS data is organized by FMCSA into the seven BASIC groups mentioned above. These classifications assist the agency in assigning CSA scores by sorting carriers into percentiles and prioritizing actions. On a percentile scale, scores go from 0 to 100. The greater the percentile a CSA score falls within, the more probable an intervention will be pursued by the agency.

If a carrier believes that their CSA score is unjust, they can appeal it using the DataQs system within two years. A successful challenge will lower their CSA score and maybe lessen the severity of the citation. After two years, violations are erased from the record.

How to Check CSA Score?

Carriers can check their CSA score by entering their name or DOT number on the CSA program website. Except for the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs, all BASIC information is open to the public. Additional safety data may be obtained through SMS with a unique login and pin. If a carrier does not already have an FMCSA login, they may sign up for one online.

How does the CSA Score Impact Carrier Insurance Costs?

Since 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been collecting and disseminating data as part of the CSA BASICs. The collection of data via the agency’s SMS is not new; what was new was the publication of it via the CSA program.

If a company has low BASIC scores, its carrier may be inspected by the FMCSA as an unsafe carrier. Many shippers also evaluate a carrier’s BASIC scores regularly, and some refuse to do business with carriers with high totals. Insurance firms will also look at BASIC scores as part of their overall health and risk profile assessment. Higher CSA scores might result in higher premiums, deductibles, or even coverage refusal.

Failure to properly maintain a CMV is often included in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. According to Carrier411, a score of 80 or more is deemed troublesome for most carriers. The Vehicle Maintenance BASIC includes nearly 200 things.

However, in general, this BASIC would include offenses such as broken brakes, lights, mechanical faults, and failing to make necessary repairs.

Insurers will pay particular attention to the Unsafe Driver, Crash Indicator, and Hours-of-Service Compliance BASICs, but they will also pay attention to the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC.

A high FMCSA percentile grade in this BASIC might indicate a firm or driver that does not maintain their equipment or is using outdated and bad equipment. In both circumstances, the FMCSA feels this equates to an increased risk of a collision, and whether this is true or not, it will have an impact on insurance prices.

How to Lower the Carrier Insurance Costs that are Impacted by CSA Score?

Keeping an eye on all the regulations and knowing all the policy terms is essential. Other than this a company can lower its carrier insurance cost by lowering its CSA score. Listed below are a few ways in which a company can reduce its CSA score which will then reduce the carrier insurance costs:

• Use Reliable ELDs- ELDs can help to improve CSA scores in a variety of ways. With ELDs drivers and dispatchers can track hours of service and be warned when a driver’s limit is approaching. Form and method violations can potentially have an impact on CSA findings. These violations can be avoided if drivers report their hours electronically rather than managers depending on drivers to physically document their hours.
• Pre-Trip Inspection- Vehicle maintenance violations reduce CSA scores significantly, and new standards for maintaining a vehicle in operation might be difficult to meet. Thorough pre-trip inspections, with a focus on vehicle maintenance concerns that drivers frequently ignore, are the most important component in averting these penalties.
• Hire Good Drivers- It’s always a good idea that a company hires good drivers for their commercial vehicles. Having a high standard for the drivers and those that follow the road safety rules should be considered while hiring a driver. Also knowing a driver’s past behavior is essential.
• Check for Medical Violations- Medical violations account for around 12.5% of all breaches. This is primarily due to drivers not having a proper medical certificate. However, driving when physically unwell is a more severe Fleet managers should keep track of the expiration dates of their drivers’ medical cards and ensure that they are updated.

Conclusion

There are undoubtedly many carriers and/or owner-operators with high CSA scores who are fully insured. However, when looking at a total cost of operation matrix, those higher CSA ratings may end up costing the carrier more in the long term. Shippers are less willing to contract with it, insurance costs are greater, and driver turnover is higher. So, one must maintain a good CSA score for the benefit of the business.

FAQs

What happens in case a carrier has a high CSA score?

In case of a high CSA score, a carrier will be subjected to an FMCSA investigation.

What is considered a good CSA score?

Having zero is considered the best performance. In case of a good CSA score, they would need to have a score of 10-30.