An initiative rolled out in December 2010 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) to improve large truck safety by reducing crashes,
injuries, and fatalities on the road. The score is calculated using a Safety
Measurement System (SMS) based on investigations and on-road performance. SMS
assesses data from seven areas called BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety
Improvement Categories)—unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance, driver
fitness, controlled substances/alcohol, vehicle maintenance, hazardous
materials compliance, and crash indicator. SMS ranks carriers based on their
BASIC measure. Scores help FMCSA identify crash high-risk carriers for
interventions.