The US Dept. of Transportation has decided to reformulate CSA scores, which it will re-release in two years.

Ever since the advent of Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) scores by the Department of Transportation and FMCSA a couple of years ago, motor carriers have expressed concerns that the scoring formulation and publicly-available results do not accurately and fairly depict the motor carrier’s safety records and compliance. And while it is safe to presume that most members of the consumer public do not go online to check in on the compliance scores of the trucking and commercial auto companies with whom they share the roads, the CSA scoring system does affect the motor carriers in other ways, on a day-to-day basis: it affects their standing with the Department of Transportation; it aids insurance companies in underwriting policies and determining premiums for commercial carriers; and it can affect motor carriers who may become involved in litigation due to motor vehicle accidents. Therefore, a scoring system that does not accurately reflect  motor carriers’ safety efforts and compliance could negatively affect motor carriers’ ability to conduct business or defend themselves in legal matters.

With those and other considerations in mind, the Department of Transportation has announced that over the next two years, it will reformulate CSA scores to more appropriately reflect motor carriers’ compliance and safety records. Following the reformulation, the CSA scores will be re-released to the public. In the meantime, the public will continue to have access to the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) data available on the SAFER website.