Your CSA score determines your employability, freight rates, and whether the DOT puts you under a microscope. We audit, dispute, and strategically improve your FMCSA Safety Measurement System rating.
The FMCSA's Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program uses the Safety Measurement System (SMS) to calculate a percentile score across 7 BASIC categories for every CDL driver and motor carrier. Scores are updated monthly and visible to carriers, shippers, and insurance companies.
A score above the alert threshold in any BASIC category triggers carrier investigations, driver disqualification review, and insurance premium increases. Many carriers simply won't hire drivers with elevated CSA scores — regardless of the underlying circumstances.
Hours of service log violations and fatigue-related incidents.
Brake, tire, lighting, and equipment violations.
Speeding, reckless driving, improper lane changes.
DOT-reportable crashes and preventability determinations.
Drug and alcohol test violations and refusals.
Medical certification, license, and qualification issues.
Hazardous materials handling, placarding, and documentation.
Before and after CDL Consultants CSA intervention (example: Unsafe Driving BASIC)
We pull your complete SMS record across all 7 BASICs, identify every violation contributing to your score, and rank them by removal impact.
We identify challengeable violations and file DataQ challenges for inaccurate, incorrect, or unproven violations — the fastest path to score reduction.
Beyond challenges, we build a forward-looking compliance plan to prevent new violations from accumulating — keeping your score on a downward trajectory.
Scores update monthly. We monitor your record, flag new violations immediately, and respond before they compound.
"My Unsafe Driving score was 81 — I was losing loads. After CDL Consultants filed 4 DataQ challenges, it dropped to 29 in 6 weeks. I'm back to full capacity."
— Angela R., Owner-Operator, Ohio