Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are questions and answers about Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compiled to assist the public. As questions come in through the website, FMCSA adds them to the database along with their answers. If you do not see your question or topic addressed, please contact us by submitting a feedback form. We will respond to you directly and consider your question for inclusion in the FAQs.

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How can a carrier improve in the Unsafe Driving Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC)? Answer
The Unsafe Driving BASIC includes operation of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in a dangerous or careless manner. Example violations include speeding, reckless driving, improper lane change, and inattention (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation Parts 392 and 397). The following Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) resources can help motor carriers improve their Unsafe Driving BASIC measure:
- FMCSA’s CMV Safety Belt Program
- FMCSA’s Increasing Safety Belt Use in Your Company — Manual
- FMCSA’s Defensive Driving Crash Countermeasures
- FMCSA’s A Motor Carrier's Guide to Improving Highway Safety, pages 79-80.
FMCSA created a tool, the Safety Management Cycle (SMC). The SMC helps carriers determine their organizational breakdowns that are causing the carriers' safety violations The SMC has its own webpage located here: https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/About/SMC_Overview.aspx. Carriers can download an overview of the SMC here: https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/FMC_CSA_12_002_SMC_Overview.pdf and download a list of safety improvement practices that help resolve typical carrier process breakdowns related to the Unsafe Driving BASIC here: https://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/Documents/FMC_CSA_12_019_UnsafeDriv_SMC.pdf.
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