Scoring Methodology
How Before You Load reaches its advisory carrier decisions.
Overview
Before You Load gives each carrier one advisory decision — Pass, Verify or Prohibited — with the evidence behind it.
Safety Performance Rankings
We independently calculate performance rankings across seven safety categories. Violations are weighted by severity and recency within a rolling 24-month measurement window, then compared against peers of similar size and operation type.
Violations related to dangerous driving behaviors including speeding, reckless driving, and improper lane changes.
Violations related to driver fatigue management including logbook, ELD, and rest period requirements.
Violations related to driver qualifications including licensing, medical certification, and training.
Violations related to drug and alcohol use including testing requirements and positive results.
Violations related to vehicle condition including brakes, tires, lighting, and load securement.
Violations specific to hazardous materials transportation including placarding, documentation, and containment.
Derived from reportable crashes within the measurement window, weighted by severity and recency.
FMCSA removed the requirement to keep an ELD user's manual in the vehicle (formerly 49 CFR 395.22(h)(1)) effective July 22, 2026; its Safety Measurement System violation list (Appendix A, version 3.21, revised May 2026, before that change) lists that violation, so our Hours of Service ranking counts it the way that list does.
Safety performance rankings are independently calculated by Before You Load using publicly available federal data. They are not FMCSA Safety Measurement System percentiles. They have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the FMCSA or any government agency.
Identity Pattern Review
Our system analyzes observable patterns in public registration data to identify shared-contact networks and related entities. These signals are weighted using statistical inverse-frequency methods — common commercial addresses contribute less weight than unusual clustering patterns.
Known process agent addresses (identified from FMCSA BOC-3 filings) are automatically suppressed to reduce false positives. Thresholds are calibrated to minimize false signals while maintaining sensitivity to genuine patterns of concern.
This signal reflects observable patterns in public registration data. It does not constitute an allegation of wrongdoing or illegal activity.
Data Completeness
Each carrier assessment notes how much source data is available. Carriers with limited inspection history, outdated filings, or missing data sources are flagged with a “limited evidence coverage” indicator so you can judge accordingly.
When evidence coverage is limited, a carrier may receive a VERIFY recommendation as a precaution — this reflects how much we hold, not elevated risk, and it is not a finding about the carrier. We distinguish between “no review items observed” (data reviewed, nothing notable found) and “limited evidence coverage” (we hold few of the tracked sources for this carrier).
Decision States
Every carrier receives one of three advisory decision states based on the composite risk assessment:
No adverse indicators detected in available data.
One or more signals warrant additional review. May indicate limited data, moderate risk factors, or identity patterns that merit verification before proceeding.
Federal records show an active Out-of-Service order, revoked authority, or no operating authority on file. We report what the record shows; whether a carrier may lawfully operate is determined by FMCSA, not by us.
This is an advisory risk assessment based on publicly available data and proprietary analytics. It is not a regulatory determination and should not be the sole basis for carrier selection decisions.
Data Sources
Our assessments draw from 16+ government and public data sources. All data is ingested in its original form, archived to immutable storage, and processed through our transformation pipeline. Refresh timing varies by source and is not on a guaranteed schedule; each carrier profile shows when its underlying federal records were last retrieved. Verify current status directly with FMCSA before booking.
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| FMCSA Census | Carrier registration, officers, equipment counts |
| FMCSA Inspections | Roadside inspection results and outcomes |
| FMCSA Violations | Violation codes, severity, and adjudication status |
| FMCSA Crashes | Reportable crashes with severity classification |
| Authority Grants History | Complete authority grant and revocation timeline |
| Out-of-Service Orders | Federal OOS orders as shown in the retrieved records |
| Carrier Current Status | Operating authority and insurance status as shown in the last retrieved FMCSA records |
| BOC-3 Process Agent History | Registered process agents and office addresses |
| MC/MX Number Registry | Motor carrier and broker number assignments |
| Company Census (MCS-150) | Self-reported fleet, operations, and contact data (carrier-filed biennially) |
| Revocation History | Historical authority revocations with reasons |
| FMCSA Safety Ratings | Compliance review results (Satisfactory/Conditional/Unsatisfactory) |
| OIG Fugitives List | HHS Office of Inspector General exclusions |
| SEC EDGAR Filings | Public company filings for entity validation |
| IRS EO/BMF | Tax-exempt organization records for entity validation |
| State Registrations (FL, TX) | State-level corporate registration cross-reference |
Data Integrity
Every source record is archived to immutable object storage upon ingestion. Each record receives a cryptographic hash that serves as a permanent identifier. When a user requests a carrier assessment, the specific data hashes that informed that assessment are logged alongside the output — creating a complete audit trail from decision to source data.
Our transformation pipeline includes automated integrity checks: percentile distribution sanity, decision floor enforcement, score distribution canary detection, and cross-model consistency validation. If any check detects an anomaly, the affected data is flagged for manual review before serving.
This report is generated from publicly available government records and proprietary analytics. Percentile rankings are calculated independently and do not represent official FMCSA Safety Measurement System results. This information is provided for business due diligence purposes only and should not be the sole basis for carrier selection decisions.