Abbreviation: SMS
Safety Measurement System
FMCSA's database that calculates carrier BASIC percentile scores using roadside inspection violations and crash data, and makes results available to law enforcement and the public.
SMS is the underlying scoring engine of the CSA program. It updates monthly as inspection and crash data is submitted by state agencies. Carrier scores are shown as percentile rankings within peer groups — a higher percentile means worse performance relative to peers. Some BASIC scores are publicly visible at ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms; others (like Crash Indicator) are restricted to law enforcement.
Last updated: May 29, 2026