CSA The Safety Measurement System SMS

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CSA The Safety Measurement System…

The SMS uses data from roadside inspections and crash reports from the last two years, and data from investigations to identify and intervene with motor carriers that pose the greatest risk to safety.

FMCSA updates the SMS once a month and organizes the data into seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The SMS groups carriers by BASIC with other carriers that have a similar number of safety events and then ranks carriers and assigns a percentile to prioritize them for interventions. To learn about SMS’s effectiveness, visit the SMS Effectiveness Test page.

Complete SMS results are available to enforcement users and carriers that are logged into their own safety profiles. For more information on what SMS data is available to the public, review this FAQ.

Learn more about the BASICs

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

Learn more about the Unsafe Driving BASIC

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 behaviors or set of behaviors that contributed to the crash. 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 or driver’s role in the crash.

The Crash Indicator BASIC is not public. It is only available to a motor carrier that is logged into its own safety profile, or to enforcement personnel.

Learn more about the Crash Indicator BASIC

Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance

This BASIC addresses requirements for all large truck and bus drivers to ensure that they are alert, awake, and able to respond quickly.

For the latest information and resources on HOS, visit FMCSA’s Website.

Learn more about the HOS Compliance BASIC

Vehicle Maintenance

This BASIC considers proper vehicle maintenance to help ensure safety on the road, including pre- and post-trip inspections, vehicle defects, and repairs.

Learn more about the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC

Controlled Substances/Alcohol

This BASIC addresses misuse of alcohol, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter and prescription medications that impair driving abilities and endanger everyone’s safety on the road. Having containers of alcoholic beverages in CMV cabs, whether open or not, is a violation.

Learn more about the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC

Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance

This 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.

The HM Compliance BASIC is not public. It is only available to a motor carrier that is logged into its own safety profile or to enforcement personnel.

Learn more about the HM Compliance BASIC

Driver Fitness

This BASIC addresses driving records. Motor carriers are responsible for ensuring driver qualification files are complete and current. Required files for each and every driver include commercial drivers’ licenses (CDLs), medical certificates, State driving records, annual reviews of driving records, and employment applications.

Learn more about the Driver Fitness BASIC