How many CSA points is a speeding ticket?

It depends on how far over the limit the inspector wrote it, and the weight belongs to the Unsafe Driving BASIC alone. Speeding 6 to 10 mph over carries 4, 11 to 14 mph over carries 7, and 15 or more mph over carries 10, as does any speeding violation in a work zone. Speeding 1 to 5 mph over was removed from the system and no longer scores at all.

Do warnings count toward CSA?

A violation recorded on the inspection report counts whether or not a citation was written, so a written warning that appears as a violation still scores. What changes the outcome is a citation that goes to court: a dismissal removes the violation, and a conviction on a different charge drops it to a severity weight of 1.

How much can one inspection cost me?

Severity weights are capped at 30 per inspection per BASIC, and the cap is applied before the time weight multiplies it. A violation that put the driver or vehicle out of service adds 2 to its own weight before that cap.

Safety record

CSA points by violation

Q: Can I add up my points across categories?

No. Severity weights from one BASIC must not be added, subtracted, equated, or otherwise combined with a weight from another BASIC. A 5 in one BASIC is not the same crash risk as a 5 in another.

FMCSA scores every roadside violation from 1 to 10 inside its own category. The tables below carry all 67 violation groups from Appendix A of the current methodology, covering 2,412 individual violation codes, with the weight FMCSA assigns each one.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 11, 2026

Read the weight inside its own category

A severity weight only means something next to the other violations in the same BASIC. FMCSA is explicit about it: severity weights from one basic must not be added, subtracted, equated, or otherwise combined with a weight from another basic. a 5 in one basic is not the same crash risk as a 5 in another.

Two adjustments sit on top of the published weight. A violation that placed the driver or the vehicle out of service adds 2. Then the whole inspection is capped at 30 per BASIC, before the time weight applies.

Age changes what a violation costs

Age of the violation	Multiplier
0 to 6 months	3
Over 6 months and up to 12 months	2
Over 12 months and up to 24 months	1
Older than 24 months	No longer used

A weight-10 violation written last month counts three times as heavily as the same violation written eighteen months ago.

Unsafe Driving

Operation of commercial motor vehicles in a dangerous or careless manner.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Phone Call	10	5
Reckless Driving	10	2
Speeding 15+ mph over the limit, or any speeding in a work zone	10	2
Texting	10	7
Seat Belt	7	6
Speeding 11-14 mph over the limit	7	1
Dangerous Driving	5	44
Radar detector, or scheduling a run that requires speeding	5	5
Speeding 6-10 mph over the limit	4	1
Misc Violations	3	5
HM Related	1	5
Other Driver Violations	1	14

Weights within Unsafe Driving, from Appendix A.

HOS Compliance

Operation of CMVs by drivers who are ill, fatigued, or in noncompliance with the hours-of-service regulations, including records of duty status.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Driving after being placed out of service, or while fatigued	10	11
False Log	7	15
Hours	7	54
Incomplete/Wrong Log	5	23
Fail to transfer ELD records	3	2
ELD/EOBR device violations	1	16
Hours-of-service, nominal overage	1	24
Other Log/Form & Manner	1	32

Weights within HOS Compliance, from Appendix A.

Vehicle Maintenance

Failure to properly maintain a CMV and prevent shifting loads, spilled or dropped cargo, and overloading.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Towing Loaded Bus	10	4
Vehicle Jumping OOS	10	3
Tires	8	53
Improper Load Securement	7	81
Suspension	7	34
Lighting	6	76
Steering Mechanism	6	41
Brakes out of adjustment	4	4
Brakes, All Others	4	202
Inspection Reports	4	23
Coupling Devices	3	182
Failure to Prevent Movement	3	20
Other Vehicle Defect	3	69
Reflective Sheeting	3	34
Tiedown	3	23
Tire vs. Load	3	12
Cab, Body, Frame	2	74
Clearance Identification Lamps/Other	2	22
Emergency Equipment	2	14
Wheels, Studs, Clamps, Etc.	2	35
Exhaust Discharge	1	11
Fuel Systems	1	19
General Securement	1	33
Securement Device	1	22
Warning Flags	1	4
Windshield/ Glass/ Markings	1	26
Defective brakes on 20%+ of service brakesCarries a base weight of 0. Appendix A's footnote for 396.3A1BOS states that when it is cited and recorded as an out-of-service violation it receives a weight of 2.	Out-of-service only	1

Weights within Vehicle Maintenance, from Appendix A.

Controlled Substances/Alcohol

Operation of CMVs by drivers impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medications.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Driving after an alcohol out-of-service order	10	7
Drugs	10	5
Alcohol	5	7
Alcohol Possession	3	4

Weights within Controlled Substances/Alcohol, from Appendix A.

HM Compliance

Unsafe handling of hazardous materials on a CMV. This category is not published, though the violations behind it are still on your inspection reports.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Load Securement - HM	10	58
Package Integrity - HM	8	195
Package Testing - HM	7	31
Fire Hazard - HM	6	46
Markings - HM	5	240
Cargo Protection - HM	4	63
Documentation - HM	3	154
HM Other	2	110
HM Route	1	9

Weights within HM Compliance, from Appendix A.

Driver Fitness

Operation of CMVs by drivers unfit to operate due to lack of training, experience, or medical qualification.

Violation group	Severity weight	Violation codes
Fraud	10	1
License-related: High	8	44
License-related: Medium	5	4
General Driver Qualification	4	6
Physical	2	6
License-related: Low	1	2
Medical Certificate	1	24

Weights within Driver Fitness, from Appendix A.

A violation you beat in court

Winning the ticket does not update the safety record by itself. FMCSA applies the result only when you send the paperwork through DataQs.

Citation result	Effect on the violation
Dismissed or found not guilty	The violation is removed.
Convicted of a different charge	Severity weight is set to 1 and the violation is not subject to the out-of-service weight.

Submit certified documentation of the judicial proceeding result through a Request for Data Review (RDR) in DataQs. The policy covers inspections conducted on or after August 23, 2014 and does not reach back further. How to file the request walks the process.

What these weights add up to

Nothing on its own. A weight is one input to a category measure, which gets normalized for your size and inspection count and then ranked against comparable carriers. CSA scores covers that calculation and the intervention thresholds it feeds. Roadside inspections are where nearly all of this data is generated, and commercial vehicle inspections covers the levels and what each one examines.