Safety management plan template for trucking companies: a written plan mapped to the CSA BASICs

Most small carriers manage safety in their heads: the owner knows who's a careful driver, which truck needs brakes and when the last inspection was. A written safety management plan takes that knowledge out of one person's head and makes it a system: who's responsible, what the policies are, how they're checked, and what happens when something goes wrong.

Auditors, insurers and larger shippers ask how you manage safety. A written plan is the clearest answer, and writing it usually surfaces gaps you didn't know about.

Template only. Not legal advice or a compliance guarantee. Fill in your real practices and have it reviewed.

Plan sections, mapped to the seven BASICs

FMCSA scores roadside inspection, crash and investigation data in seven categories called BASICs FMCSA, CSA: the 7 BASICsThe seven CSA BASICsUnsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, Driver FitnessFMCSA's Safety Measurement System groups roadside inspection, crash and investigation data into seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs): Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance (not public) and Driver Fitness. FMCSA has approved an Enhanced SMS that regroups some of these; until it launches, the current categories apply.FMCSA, CSA: the 7 BASICsChecked Oct 2026Close. A plan that addresses each one targets the behaviors that drive your safety scores.

• BASIC

  Unsafe Driving

  Plan section 4: driving policies

  Speed, phones, following distance; coaching from inspections and telematics.

• BASIC

  Crash Indicator

  Plan section 7: accidents

  Accident procedure, register, review of every crash for prevention.

• BASIC

  Hours-of-Service Compliance

  Plan section 5: hours

  ELD use, weekly log review, dispatch that fits legal hours.

• BASIC

  Vehicle Maintenance

  Plan section 6: vehicles

  Pre-trips, defect reports, annual inspections, maintenance schedule.

• BASIC

  Controlled Substances/Alcohol

  Plan section 3: testing (CDL)

  Policy, consortium, random pool, Clearinghouse queries.

• BASIC

  Hazardous Materials Compliance

  Plan section 8: hazmat, if any

  Shipping papers, placards, endorsements, training, security.

• BASIC

  Driver Fitness

  Plan section 2: hiring

  Qualification files, medical certificates, annual MVR reviews.

Fill in your plan

FILL IN THE TEMPLATE

Your answers stay in this browser. Template only, not legal advice or a compliance guarantee. Have it reviewed for your state and operation.

Company legal nameUSDOT numberSafety manager (name and role)Backup safety contactDrug and alcohol consortium or C/TPA (if CDL drivers)ELD providerMain maintenance shopCompany speed policyAnnual plan review month

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[Company legal name] safety management plan

1. PRACTICE

   1. Commitment and responsibility

   [Company legal name] (USDOT [USDOT number]) is committed to operating safely and complying with federal and state safety rules. [Safety manager (name and role)] is responsible for this plan and has authority to enforce it. [Backup safety contact] acts when the safety manager is unavailable.

2. RULE

   2. Driver hiring and qualification (Driver Fitness)

   Every driver completes an application, road test or accepted equivalent and medical certification, and the company obtains driving records and previous employer checks before or within the time the rules allow (49 CFR Part 391). Driving records are reviewed at least every 12 months, with the reviewer's name and date recorded. Qualification files are kept while the driver works here and three years after.

3. RULE, CDL DRIVERS

   3. Drug and alcohol testing (Controlled Substances/Alcohol)

   CDL drivers are covered by DOT testing (49 CFR Part 382 and Part 40) through [Drug and alcohol consortium or C/TPA (if CDL drivers)]: pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty and follow-up. Clearinghouse queries are run before hire and yearly. Testing records are kept separate and confidential. Non-CDL drivers are not in DOT testing.

4. PRACTICE

   4. Driving policies (Unsafe Driving)

   Speed policy: [Company speed policy]. No texting or hand-held phone use while driving (49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82). Seat belts at all times. Inspection results and telematics reports are reviewed monthly and each driver receives private coaching on specific events.

5. RULE

   5. Hours of service (HOS Compliance)

   Drivers who must log use an ELD from [ELD provider] (49 CFR 395.8). Logs are reviewed weekly for violations and unassigned driving. Loads are planned so they can be delivered within legal hours; drivers tell dispatch early when they can't.

6. RULE

   6. Vehicle inspection and maintenance (Vehicle Maintenance)

   Drivers inspect before driving and report defects in writing when the day's work is done (49 CFR 392.7, 396.11, 396.13). Defects are repaired before the vehicle is used again. Each truck and trailer has an annual inspection (49 CFR 396.17) and a maintenance schedule kept with [Main maintenance shop]. Maintenance records are kept as required (49 CFR 396.3).

7. PRACTICE

   7. Accidents (Crash Indicator)

   After any crash: secure the scene, call 911 if anyone is hurt, call [Safety manager (name and role)], take photos, and do not admit fault. Recordable accidents go in the accident register (49 CFR 390.15). Every crash is reviewed within two weeks to find what could prevent the next one.

8. RULE, IF APPLICABLE

   8. Hazardous materials (HM Compliance)

   If the company hauls hazardous materials, drivers hold the required endorsement and training, shipments carry proper shipping papers and placards, and any required registration and security plan are in place. If the company does not haul hazmat, it does not accept hazmat loads.

9. PRACTICE

   9. Review and improvement

   [Safety manager (name and role)] reviews this plan every [Annual plan review month] and after any serious crash, audit finding or major change, and records the date and changes made. Drivers receive the current version and sign for it.

How to fill it out

1. Name a real person as safety manager and give them authority to enforce the plan.
2. Write what you do, not what sounds good. An auditor compares the plan with your records.
3. Fill every bracket. A plan with blanks looks like a template, because it is.
4. Delete what doesn't apply, such as hazmat, or keep the line saying you don't haul it.
5. Have it reviewed by someone who knows the rules and your state.
6. Give drivers the parts that affect them and have them sign. Many fleets put driver-facing policies in a driver handbook.

Making the plan work

A plan in a drawer does nothing. The parts that make it real:

• A monthly review of inspection results, violations, crashes and log problems, with a note of what changed.
• Coaching, not just discipline. Specific, private feedback on real events changes behavior.
• Dispatch that respects hours. A plan that says "never pressure drivers" fails if loads are booked that can't be delivered legally.
• Records that match. Every statement in the plan should be backed by a file: driver files, testing records, maintenance logs, the accident register.

What auditors and insurers look for

They look less at the plan's wording and more at whether your records back it up. Expect questions like:

• Can you show a complete qualification file for a driver chosen at random?
• Can you show the last annual MVR review, with the reviewer's name and date?
• For CDL drivers, can you show random testing selections and Clearinghouse queries?
• Can you show maintenance records and the annual inspection for a truck and a trailer?
• What did you do after your last roadside violation or crash?

A plan that names the person and the routine for each of these, and files that prove it happened, is what earns credit.

A simple cycle: plan, do, check, fix

Good safety programs run in a loop. Plan: write the policies and name who owns each. Do: hire, train, inspect, test and dispatch according to them. Check: review inspections, logs, crashes and files every month. Fix: change the policy, the training or the equipment when the checks show a problem, and write down what you changed. The template's ninth section is the place to record each pass through the loop.

Training records

Training is one of the easiest things to do and the hardest to prove afterward. Keep a simple log for each driver: date, topic, who gave it, and the driver's signature. Useful topics for a small fleet include your speed and phone policies, pre-trip inspection on your equipment, cargo securement for your freight, accident procedure, and how loads are offered and declined. Short sessions at a monthly meeting, recorded each time, add up to a training history an auditor or insurer can see.

Corrective action when something goes wrong

When an inspection finds a violation, a crash happens or a log review shows a problem, the plan should say what happens next:

1. Find the cause. Was it a training gap, a maintenance miss, a schedule that couldn't be met legally, or a driver choice?
2. Fix the cause, not just the event. Repair the truck, but also ask why the defect wasn't caught on the pre-trip.
3. Talk to the driver privately, with the facts.
4. Record what you did and when, in the driver or truck file and in the review log.
5. Check later that the fix worked.

Auditors look for this pattern. A carrier that finds its own problems and fixes them looks very different from one that waits for the next roadside inspection.

One truck or ten: scaling the plan

One truck, owner driving. The plan can be two pages. You're the safety manager and the driver, so focus on hours, inspections, maintenance records and, if you need a CDL, your consortium membership.

Three to five trucks. Add hiring standards, monthly reviews of inspections and logs, a training log and a written accident procedure that drivers carry.

Six to ten trucks. Name a safety manager other than the owner if you can, review telematics or camera data for coaching, and audit files quarterly. The template's nine sections cover all three sizes; delete or shorten what doesn't apply yet.

How the BASICs score you

Each roadside violation carries a severity weight and a time weight, so recent and serious violations count more FMCSA, SMS methodologyCSA SMS violation weights (current method)Severity 1-10, capped at 30 per inspection per BASIC; time weight 3 (0-6 mo), 2 (6-12 mo), 1 (12-24 mo)Under FMCSA's Safety Measurement System, each violation has a severity weight from 1 to 10 within its BASIC (the sum for one inspection in one BASIC is capped at 30) and a time weight of 3 if under 6 months old, 2 if 6 to 12 months, 1 if 12 to 24 months. Most BASIC measures divide the weighted violations by time-weighted relevant inspections; Unsafe Driving and Crash Indicator use power units and a utilization factor. Percentiles compare carriers in peer groups and aren't public for every BASIC.FMCSA, SMS methodologyChecked Oct 2026Close. Your percentiles compare you with similar carriers. FMCSA has approved an Enhanced SMS that regroups some categories, with launch timing to be announced Federal Register 2024-27087Enhanced SMSApproved November 2024; launch date not yet announcedFMCSA's November 20, 2024 notice approved changes to the Safety Measurement System (new violation groupings, severity and categories). FMCSA said it will announce the implementation date; until then the current SMS method applies.Federal Register 2024-27087, 2024Checked Oct 2026Close. Estimate the effect of violations with the CSA score estimator.

EXAMPLE A five-truck flatbed carrier writes its plan from the template. Section 6 shows the gap: two trailers have no maintenance records beyond the annual inspection. The owner sets up a trailer service schedule with the same shop as the tractors. Section 4 leads to a monthly review of speeding events from the trucks' telematics, which drop by half over the next quarter.

Keep the plan and the checklist in step

The plan sits alongside the trucking company compliance checklist, which lists every record and date. Your plan's commitments should match what your truck business plan budgets for training, maintenance and testing. For how safety fits the other systems, see truck fleet management.

This template is not legal advice or a compliance guarantee. Have it reviewed for your state and operation.