Methodology: How We Verify Car Shippers
Our rule
If we can't verify it from a primary source, we leave it out. We don't estimate, extrapolate, or repeat claims from a company's own marketing as fact.
Data sources
| Source | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot | Legal and DBA name, USDOT and MC numbers, entity type (broker or carrier), USDOT status, operating authority status, address, phone, cargo carried, MCS-150 date |
| FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I) | Authority history, broker bond or trust fund (BMC-84/BMC-85), carrier liability insurance filings, pending cancellations |
| FMCSA consumer guidance | Rules and advice we cite in guides |
| Federal regulations (eCFR / Cornell LII) | Exact rule text (for example 49 CFR 371.7 and 387.307) |
| FTC consumer guidance | Payment-dispute rights |
| Company websites | Only for policies the company publishes itself (for example deposit terms), always labeled and linked |
How a company profile is built
- We look up the company on SAFER by USDOT or MC number and record each field exactly as shown, with the "data as of" date FMCSA prints.
- Where possible, we confirm bond or insurance filings and authority history on L&I.
- We label the company broker, carrier, or both based on its FMCSA operating authority, not on how it describes itself.
- Anything we couldn't confirm is listed as "not yet verified." It is never guessed.
- Every profile lists its sources and the date we retrieved them.
Freshness
FMCSA records change, and authority can be revoked or suspended at any time. Our pages show the date of the FMCSA data they're based on. Always re-check SAFER yourself before you pay. Every profile includes a one-click lookup.
Corrections
If you spot an error, contact us with a link to the primary source and we'll fix it.
Planned
We plan to use FMCSA's free QCMobile API to refresh profiles automatically. Until then, records are checked by hand.