Do you know what your CSA score is? How about your carrier, do you know what their CSA score is? Do you even know WHAT a CSA score is, and what it’s used for? Probably not, but it is extremely important. CSA stands for Compliance, Safety and Accountability and is used to grade carriers, owner and lease operators and drivers. Any and all violations you receive count against your personal CSA score, as well as that of your carrier. Each violation has a set point value, the more serious the violation, the greater the points. As I recall, a collision involving a fatality has the highest point value of 45 points per fatality. In the Humboldt Broncos crash, where 16 people lost their lives, the points against both the driver and the carrier would have been 720, just for the fatalities. The injuries would have their own point value, as would the failing to stop at the stop sign. The total points could easily have been over 1,000. As the carrier had very few trucks, these points basically forced the company to close its doors. These points against the driver will likely be enough to make any other carrier very hesitant to hire him until the points “expire” 2 years after the incident.
Your personal CSA score is available online for prospective employers to check as part of the pre hiring process and they look at it closely, as your personal score will affect their insurance premiums if you’re hired. It’s in your best interest to do everything possible to keep your score as low as possible, and your company will thank you for your diligence as well.
More information regarding the CSA score can be found at:
https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/
