Improve CSA scores and challenge incorrect data in DataQs
There is no shortcut to improve CSA scores. They change when fewer violations go on your record and when the data already there is accurate. We help with both: the daily habits behind clean inspections, and DataQs requests for data that is wrong.
How to improve CSA scores the honest way
Your CSA scores come from FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS), which sorts inspection, violation and crash data into categories called BASICs. Our CSA score chart explains each BASIC and how to look up your own numbers.
What you control is what happens at your next roadside inspection, and whether the records already on your profile are correct. Those two things work together, and we work on both.
We start with your own SMS data. If your scores are in good shape, we'll say so. If one BASIC is behind most of the trouble, that's where we start, because fixing one repeat cause often does more than chasing every violation at once.
How we read your BASICs with you
Pull your data
We go through your SMS profile and your inspection reports with you, BASIC by BASIC.
Find the pattern
We sort violations by driver, truck, type and location. A score problem often comes from a few repeat causes, not bad luck.
Check the facts
We compare each inspection and crash record with your own documents: logs, repair orders, driver files. Anything that looks wrong goes on a DataQs list.
Set the plan
You get a short written plan: habits to change, who owns each one, and which records are worth a review request.
Habits that move scores over time
Each habit lines up with the kind of violation it prevents.
Real pre-trip and post-trip inspections
Drivers who inspect their equipment and use driver vehicle inspection reports catch lights, tires and brakes before an inspector does.
A maintenance schedule you keep
Systematic inspection, repair and maintenance, required by 49 CFR 396.3 and tracked per unit, means fewer defects reach the roadside.
Weekly log reviews
Someone checks each driver's hours and follows up on errors before they turn into a pattern.
Hiring done in order
A valid CDL, a medical certificate and a complete file before the first dispatch.
A working drug and alcohol program
Random testing and Clearinghouse queries done on schedule, not when someone remembers.
Coaching after every inspection
Each inspection report, clean or not, gets reviewed with the driver soon after, so the same violation doesn't repeat.
Filing DataQs challenges for incorrect data
DataQs is FMCSA's system for requesting a review of inspection, violation and crash data you believe is wrong. The state agency that reported the data reviews the request and makes the decision.
A good request is specific and backed by documents. We help you:
- Choose the records worth challenging, and leave alone the ones recorded correctly
- Gather proof, such as ELD records, repair orders, photos, registration or driver documents
- Write the request in plain, factual language, without arguing
- File it with your authorization, or walk you through filing it yourself
- Track each request and its outcome
DataQs is for data that is wrong. It is not a way to argue with a violation that was recorded accurately, and we won't file a request we don't believe the facts support.
Crash Preventability Determination Program
Not every crash involving your truck was your driver's doing. FMCSA's Crash Preventability Determination Program reviews whether eligible crashes were preventable. We help you check whether a crash fits the program's eligibility rules, collect the documents that show what happened, and prepare the submission for your review.
If a crash isn't eligible, we'll tell you plainly, and we'll look at what the report shows about anything your drivers or equipment could do differently next time.
Backed by education
Our help with CSA scores and DataQs is backed by the education we created at Freight University. We use education, data, technology and academics to stay on top of the newest FMCSA rules and regulations. You don't get one person. You get a team, a platform and a network with up-to-date information, making sure it's done the right and correct way. How we work.
- Current on the newest FMCSA rules
- A team, a platform and a network behind you
- Done the right and correct way
What we won't promise
We can't remove violations or promise a lower score. The reviewing agency decides each DataQs request, and your next inspections decide where your scores go from here. What we can do is help make sure your record is accurate and your habits are sound. We are a carrier-first company, and we work remotely with carriers in all 48 contiguous states.
Questions and answers
How do I improve my CSA scores?
Fewer violations going forward and accurate data on your record. That means inspections, maintenance, log reviews, hiring and testing done consistently, plus DataQs requests for records that are wrong. Our CSA score chart explains what each BASIC measures.
What is a DataQs challenge?
It is a request, filed through FMCSA's DataQs system, for a review of inspection, violation or crash data you believe is incorrect.
Who reviews a DataQs request?
The state agency that reported the data reviews the request (DataQs).
Can DataQs remove a violation that was written correctly?
DataQs is for data you believe is incorrect. If a violation was recorded accurately, we'll tell you so and focus on preventing the next one.
What is the Crash Preventability Determination Program?
It is FMCSA's program for reviewing whether eligible crashes were preventable (FMCSA). We can help you check eligibility and prepare the documents.
Will LFS lower my CSA scores?
We don't promise score changes. We help you build the habits and correct the data, which are the honest ways scores improve.
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Request a CSA and DataQs review
Send your USDOT number, fleet size and any inspection or crash you think was recorded wrong. We'll look at your public data and reply with next steps.
Prefer the phone? Call 901-205-9679.