CSA Scores and DataQs | FleetComplianceHQ

Once you’re operating, your safety record gets tracked in a system called CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability). Your CSA scores determine how likely you are to be audited, whether shippers will work with you, and—in some cases—whether you’ll face federal intervention.

This article explains how CSA works after the major 2026 overhaul, and how to dispute a violation that was recorded incorrectly.

CSA and SMS: What Changed in 2026

The FMCSA significantly overhauled its Safety Measurement System (SMS) in 2026. If you’re reading this, the new system is either recently rolled out or still being fully implemented across all states, so understanding the changes matters.

What Got Simpler

Violation Codes Consolidated: The FMCSA previously tracked roughly 2,000 individual violation codes. These were consolidated into 116 violation groups, making the system less granular but more understandable. Instead of searching through 2,000 possible violations to understand what you did wrong, there are now 116 categories.

Severity Weighting: Previously, violations were weighted on a 1–10 severity scale. This was simplified to a 1-or-2 scale:

2 = High-risk (out-of-service/disqualifying): These are violations that immediately violate federal safety rules. The most serious category includes Unsafe Driving violations (speeding excessively, reckless driving, racing, unsafe lane changes, etc.).
1 = All other violations: Everything else—maintenance defects, paperwork issues, logbook errors, etc.

This means violations now fall into two clear buckets: severe/disqualifying, or not.

The Six Safety Categories (Previously Called BASICs)

Carriers are scored on six safety categories. The 2026 overhaul kept the same six but renamed them and split one:

Unsafe Driving — This category was expanded. It now includes drug and alcohol violations, which were previously tracked separately. A positive drug test on the federal Clearinghouse or an alcohol violation now directly hits your Unsafe Driving score.
Hours of Service (HOS) — Logbook violations, exceeding driving limits, missing records.
Driver Fitness — Using drivers with suspended licenses, medical disqualifications, or without required endorsements.
Vehicle Maintenance — Mechanical defects found during inspections.
- A new subcategory now tracks Vehicle Maintenance: Driver Observed — defects that a driver could identify during a pre-trip or post-trip inspection. This is new in 2026 and reflects FMCSA’s focus on driver accountability for vehicle condition.
Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance — Improper hazmat handling, labeling, or placarding (only if you haul hazmat).
Crash Indicator — Crash-related violations and at-fault crash history.

How This Affects Your Score

Your CSA score in each category is a percentile (1–100, where 100 is worst). A high score in any category makes your company visible to FMCSA, shippers, and insurers as higher-risk. This increases the odds of audits and can affect your insurance costs.

The good news: the simplified scale makes it easier to understand what’s driving your score. And the new “Driver Observed” vehicle maintenance category means a violation you could have caught yourself during a pre-trip inspection is now categorized separately—an incentive to emphasize daily inspections with your drivers.

Understanding Your CSA Scores

Your CSA scores are public. You can look them up at SafetyData.FMCSA.dot.gov using your USDOT number.

What you’ll see:

A percentile score (1–100) for each of the six safety categories
The number of violations in each category
Details of each violation (date, location, violation code)
Crash history (if applicable)

How to interpret:

Scores below 65 in a category are generally considered acceptable (you’re in the safer half of the industry).
Scores 65–90 indicate elevated risk (FMCSA and shippers will notice).
Scores above 90 trigger federal intervention (you may face compliance reviews, audits, or warnings).

Your goal is to keep scores low. The way to do that is simple: avoid violations and fix problems when they’re found.

DataQs: Disputing an Incorrectly-Recorded Violation

Violations get into your CSA record through inspection reports, accident reports, and citation records. Sometimes these records are wrong—an inspector made an error, a violation code was misapplied, or a citation was issued in error.

This is where DataQs comes in. DataQs is the formal federal channel to dispute a violation that was recorded incorrectly. You can access it at dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The Three-Stage DataQs Review Process (New in 2026)

As of April 2026, FMCSA overhauled the DataQs process to add more rigorous, independent review. The new process has three mandatory stages:

Stage 1: Initial Review (21 days)

You submit your DataQs challenge with documentation supporting your claim (inspection report number, date, state, and a clear explanation of why the violation is wrong).
A reviewer who had no involvement in the original inspection examines your submission.
The reviewer issues a decision: violation is upheld, violation is disputed (removed), or you’re asked for more information.

Stage 2: Reconsideration (21 days, if requested)

If you disagree with the Initial Review decision, you can request reconsideration.
A different reviewer (not involved in the initial decision) re-examines your submission and the first reviewer’s reasoning.
Another decision is issued.

Stage 3: Final Review (45 days, if requested)

If you’re still not satisfied, you can request a final review.
A third reviewer (again, independent of the prior two) examines the entire case.
This decision is final.

Timeline to full resolution: In the best case, 21 days (if the Initial Review agrees with you). In the worst case, if you pursue all three stages, up to 87 days total (21 + 21 + 45).

State Implementation Deadline

All states must fully implement this three-stage process by September 2026. If you’re submitting a DataQs challenge now and your state hasn’t fully rolled out the new system, be aware that the timeline may be longer or the process slightly different. Once September 2026 arrives, all states will be on the same three-stage system.

How to Submit a Strong DataQs Challenge

Your submission should include:

The specific violation number — Find this on the inspection report or CSA record.
The state where it was recorded — State inspection records are maintained separately.
The date of the inspection or citation.
A clear, factual explanation of why it’s wrong. Examples:
- “The inspection report lists a brake defect on the front-right wheel, but our maintenance records show this vehicle was in the shop on that date and the brakes were replaced the day before.”
- “The citation was issued for exceeding the 11-hour driving limit, but the electronic logs clearly show the driver clocked out at 10:47, within the limit.”
- “The report lists a missing medical certificate, but the driver was hired on [date] and the certificate was on file before any operation.”
Supporting documentation — Attach maintenance records, logs, certificates, photos, or any evidence that backs your case.

What makes a weak submission:

Vague explanations (“this is wrong” without details).
Lack of documentation (claiming something happened but providing no proof).
Submitting the same challenge multiple times without new evidence.

Reviewers look for clarity and documentation. If you can show, with evidence, that the violation is incorrect, they will remove it.

Why This Matters

A single disputed violation might not seem like much. But violations directly affect your CSA scores, which affect:

Your odds of being audited (higher scores = more audits)
Your insurance costs (insurers use CSA scores to price policies)
Shipper relationships (many shippers won’t work with carriers above certain CSA thresholds)
Your reputation (if a violation is wrong, it’s hurting you unfairly)

If you can remove an incorrectly-recorded violation, it can lower your scores and reduce these downstream effects.

Practical Advice

Before an audit or inspection:

Run regular pre-trip and post-trip inspections with your drivers and document everything.
Keep your electronic logs accurate and complete.
Maintain all paperwork (medical certificates, CDLs, training records, maintenance logs).

If you get a violation:

Review it carefully against your records.
If it’s wrong, start a DataQs challenge immediately.
Keep copies of all evidence (maintenance records, logs, certificates) in a central location.

If you’re building a DataQs challenge:

Include the violation number, state, date, and a clear explanation.
Attach copies of supporting documents (inspection report, your records, etc.).
Submit through the official website.
Be prepared to wait 21–87 days depending on how many stages you pursue.

Key Takeaway

CSA scores are how FMCSA and the industry track your safety record. The 2026 overhaul made the system clearer by consolidating violation codes and simplifying severity weighting. Your goal is to keep your scores low by avoiding violations.

When a violation is recorded incorrectly, DataQs is your recourse. The new three-stage process (being implemented through September 2026) is more rigorous and independent, which means if you have a strong case with good documentation, you have a real path to get it removed.

Keep good records. When violations happen, dispute the ones that are wrong. It takes time, but it protects your reputation and your bottom line.

For more on the systems and practices that help you avoid violations in the first place, see: