The 7 BASICs & intervention thresholds
| BASIC | Threshold | What gets measured |
|---|---|---|
| Unsafe Driving | 65% (HM 60%) | Speeding, reckless, improper lane change, seat belt, texting. |
| Hours-of-Service | 65% (HM 60%) | Log violations, false RODS, 11/14-hour, 30-min break, ELD malfunctions. |
| Driver Fitness | 80% | CDL, medical card, DQ file issues — driver not qualified to operate. |
| Controlled Substances | 80% | Alcohol/drug use, possession, refusal to test. |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 80% (HM 75%) | Brakes, lights, tires, OOS conditions found at inspection. |
| HM Compliance | 80% | Hazmat placarding, packaging, securement, paperwork. |
| Crash Indicator | 65% (HM 60%) | Preventable + non-preventable crashes — not public to non-enforcement. |
HM = Hazmat carriers. Percentiles compare you to peer carriers in your safety event group.
What's a "good" CSA score?
Anything under 50% in every BASIC keeps you off the radar. Most shippers and brokers won't tender freight to carriers with any BASIC over the intervention threshold — and many cut off at 50%.
How to fix a high BASIC
DataQs the bad inspections (challenge errors), put a coaching cadence on top-offending drivers, tighten pre-trip DVIRs, and use ELD coaching events. Most BASIC violations age off after 24 months.
Track CSA inside your TMS
Hayes pulls SMS data into every carrier and driver record automatically — and alerts dispatch and safety the moment a BASIC crosses threshold.