Understanding ISS scores and BASIC alerts on Market Analysis

The above ISS score example can be read like this; 34% of this insurer's policy holders have a "pass" ISS score, 3% have an "optional" score, 2% have an "inspect" score, and 60% have insufficient data available for the FMCSA to calculate a score. 

The above BASIC alerts example can be read like this; 1% of this insurer's policy holders have a crash score in alerts status, 1% have an unsafe driving score in alerts status, 2% have a hours of service score in alerts status, and 2% have a vehicle maintenance score in alerts status.

In this article

• About the data
• Interpreting the data 

About the data

The data used to generate both of these graphs come from the seven BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) safety scores of each motor carrier. Those seven categories are;

• Unsafe Driving
• Hours-of-Service Compliance
• Driver Fitness
• Controlled Substances and Alcohol
• Vehicle Maintenance
• Hazardous Materials Compliance
• Crash Indicator

Each category is calculated over a rolling 24-month window and uses a percentile ranking (from 0 to 100, with 100 being the least safe) that measures the carrier’s violation rates, patterns, and crash history in comparison to similar-sized peers. Data for the BASICs come from state and federal roadside inspection reports, crash reports, and investigation results submitted to the FMCSA database. The calculation considers violation type, frequency, severity, recency, and number of inspections. Carriers that surpass established threshold percentiles for any category may be subject to FMCSA interventions, potentially including investigation and possible removal from service.

The ISS (Inspection Selection System) score is derived from a motor carrier’s BASIC percentiles as recorded in the FMCSA’s CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS). The ISS aggregates these safety-related metrics into a single score ranging from 1 to 100. The ISS score is then used to prioritize carriers for inspection while in operation on public highways. ISS scores corresponds to the following inspection recommendations:

• An ISS score of red (75–100) will result in a high priority of inspection: Inspect
• An ISS score of yellow (50–74) will result in a medium priority of inspection: Optional
• An ISS score of green (1–49) will result in a high priority of inspection: Pass

Carriers with higher violation rates, severe infractions, crash involvement, or recent serious violations in FMCSA investigations are flagged for closer inspection and will result in a yellow or red score. 

• The ISS algorithm gives greatest weight to Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, and Crash Indicator BASICs, reflecting FMCSA’s focus on these factors for inspection prioritization.
• For carriers with enough data, the ISS Safety Algorithm uses percentile values for each applicable BASIC.
• If a carrier lacks sufficient safety history, the ISS applies an Insufficient Data Algorithm, considering company size (fleet or driver numbers) and estimated risk until enough inspection data accumulate.

Interpreting the data

While the graphs appear simple, applying specific filters can reveal meaningful insights - especially when used to focus on particular regions or market segments. Note that both graphs update based on the selected "as of" time filter and do not include a "compared with" metric.