VettaScore methodology
The VettaScore is a 0–100 safety rating for every FMCSA-authorized motor carrier in the United States. The Evidence Grade tells you how much data backs that number. Together they turn a manual check into a calibrated read you can act on in seconds.
01 · Two dimensions
Most carrier ratings give you a single number and ask you to trust it. VettaVerify separates the score from how much we know behind it, so you can read both at a glance.
Dimension one
A weighted composite of four safety and compliance categories. Higher is better. Built entirely from public FMCSA records and updated nightly. The number answers: how safe does this carrier look?
Dimension two
A letter grade for how much data backs the score. A carrier at 80 / A+ has been verified on our platform with load history. The same 80 / C means we only have public FMCSA data. The number is the same — your confidence in it is not.
02 · Category breakdown
Every VettaScore is a weighted sum of four categories. Every input is a derived metric from public FMCSA records — nothing comes from surveys, sentiment, or paid data vendors.
Active common, contract, and broker authority; authority tenure; prior revocations; BIPD, cargo, and surety filings; lapse history.
Inspections, out-of-service events, crash history, and violation patterns over the last 24 months. Weighted by severity and recency.
Carrier age, MCS-150 currency, address stability, and chameleon-carrier signals from VIN reassignment analysis.
Fleet size, driver count, equipment diversity, and inspection-to-unit ratios that indicate operational activity.
03 · Score tiers
We intentionally avoid absolute words like “critical” or “unsafe”. Raw FMCSA data can't tell you a carrier is unsafe, only that the patterns deserve a second look.
Clean inspection history, active authority, no OOS or insurance flags, mature tenure.
Generally clean record with minor inspection or violation drags.
Visible friction — some violations, one or two incidents worth a second look.
Repeated violations, OOS events, or insurance instability. Worth a phone call before booking.
Deep pattern of compliance or safety issues. Heavy review before any load.
04 · Evidence grades
The Evidence Grade improves as a carrier verifies on VettaVerify. Connecting an ELD, uploading insurance documents, and completing loads all move the grade up — giving you more confidence in the score.
Fully verified on VettaVerify with a track record of completed loads via VettaLoad.
Insurance documents and fleet data verified through the VettaVerify onboarding process.
Active on VettaVerify with partial verification — ELD connected or insurance uploaded, not yet fully confirmed.
Score based on public FMCSA data only. No direct verification from the carrier.
Incomplete or stale public records. Score reliability is low — more data needed.
05 · Red flags
Certain conditions cap the VettaScore regardless of the weighted calculation. Revoked operating authority, an active out-of-service order, or confirmed chameleon-carrier status holds the score below a fixed ceiling.
Red flags are binary — either present or not. When one fires, the carrier page shows exactly which flag triggered and why. They are not hidden behind the number; they sit right next to it.
06 · Large fleets
Raw FMCSA volume counts against you. A 10,000-truck fleet that runs billions of miles a year will naturally rack up more inspection violations, OOS events, and crashes than a 100-truck regional carrier — even if its per-truck rates are better.
The raw VettaScore does not yet fully normalize per power unit, so a nationwide carrier can show in a lower tier than its actual safety record warrants. We surface a large-fleet caveat on any carrier with 500+ power units.
07 · Transparency
Every score is auditable. The carrier page shows which inputs helped, which hurt, and which red flags fired — so a number you can't explain never decides a booking.
What helps
What hurts
How it updates
08 · What this is not
It is not a replacement for your own due diligence. It is not a guarantee that a load will arrive. It is not underwriting advice, insurance advice, or legal advice.
It is a way to turn a long manual check into a single number you can act on in a few seconds — and then dig into when the number surprises you. The free lookup covers 2.2M+ FMCSA carriers, searchable.
The lookup is free and no account is required. Start free when you're ready to verify carriers and track loads from one workspace.