CSA intervention thresholds, explained
Updated · TruckPro Safety Carma
The short answer
An intervention threshold is the BASIC percentile at or above which FMCSA flags a carrier for possible intervention. For general property carriers it is 65% in Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator and Hours-of-Service, and 80% in the other BASICs. HazMat and passenger carriers have lower, stricter thresholds.
The thresholds by carrier type
FMCSA sets different thresholds depending on the category and on how the carrier is classified. Passenger and HazMat carriers are held to stricter thresholds because of the higher consequences of a crash.
| BASIC | General | HazMat | Passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unsafe Driving | 65% | 60% | 50% |
| Hours-of-Service Compliance | 65% | 60% | 50% |
| Vehicle Maintenance | 80% | 75% | 65% |
| Driver Fitness | 80% | 75% | 65% |
| Controlled Substances/Alcohol | 80% | 75% | 65% |
| Hazardous Materials Compliance | 80% | 80% | 80% |
Source: FMCSA SMS Methodology, Table 2-2. Crash Indicator uses the same thresholds as Unsafe Driving. TruckPro does not track it as a separate category, because FMCSA does not publish Crash Indicator percentiles.
What “HazMat” and “passenger” mean here
These are FMCSA carrier classifications, not BASIC categories. A HazMat carrier is one that transports placardable quantities of hazardous materials, and a passenger carrier is one that transports passengers, as defined in the SMS methodology. Your classification decides which column applies to every BASIC, not just HazMat.
What crossing a threshold means
- Your percentile at or above the threshold puts an alert on that BASIC.
- FMCSA uses alerts to prioritize which carriers get attention. Interventions range from warning letters to off-site or on-site investigations.
- An alert is not a safety rating, and it does not by itself mean a carrier is unsafe to operate.
How TruckPro uses the threshold
In the TruckPro score, the threshold is the midpoint. A category exactly at its threshold has a health value of 50, so your score already reflects how close each category is to the line for your carrier type.
Frequently asked questions
What is the CSA threshold for Unsafe Driving?
65% for general property carriers, 60% for HazMat carriers and 50% for passenger carriers.
What is the CSA threshold for Vehicle Maintenance?
80% for general property carriers, 75% for HazMat carriers and 65% for passenger carriers.
What happens if I go over a threshold?
The BASIC gets an alert, and FMCSA may prioritize the carrier for intervention, which can range from a warning letter to an investigation. An alert alone is not a safety rating.