CSA

Definition

CSA — Compliance, Safety, Accountability — is FMCSA's safety-measurement program that scores motor carriers on their inspection, crash, and violation history. Carriers receive percentile rankings across seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). High percentiles trigger interventions ranging from warning letters to compliance reviews. CSA does not directly issue safety ratings — that comes from a compliance review — but the program drives FMCSA's decision about which carriers to investigate. Brokers and shippers also reference CSA scores during carrier qualification, so an above-threshold percentile can quietly cost loads even before regulators get involved.