Carrier Comparison Tool

Enter two USDOT numbers and TruckCodex pulls a side-by-side snapshot from the FMCSA Carrier file: fleet size, safety rating, BASIC scores, out-of-service rates, inspection volume, crash record, and authority status. The result is a single page that answers the question shippers and brokers actually ask — 'between these two, which one should I book?'

Every metric on the comparison page comes from FMCSA public-data feeds: the Carrier registration file, the SMS (Safety Measurement System) BASIC scores, the full Inspection and Violation history, and the Crash file. We de-duplicate inspections against the FMCSA SMS redirect map so a canonical + sms-prefixed pair never gets counted twice.

Look on the carrier's truck doors (federal regulation requires the USDOT number be displayed there), on a rate confirmation, on a bill of lading, or on the carrier's website. You can also search by name on /carriers/ and copy the USDOT number from the result.

It depends on the load. For high-value or hazmat freight, focus on the Vehicle Maintenance and Unsafe Driving BASIC scores plus crash frequency relative to fleet size. For perishables and time-sensitive lanes, weigh inspection-pass rate (low OOS percentage) and active operating authority. For long-term contracts, give extra weight to the FMCSA Safety Rating and continuous insurance history.

Carrier-level snapshots refresh every 6 hours. Inspection and crash rollups refresh nightly when FMCSA publishes new files (typically 24-48 hours after the events themselves). Operating authority and insurance status refresh daily from the FMCSA L&I portal.

Not in a single view — head-to-head is intentional, because reading three or more columns side-by-side turns into a wall of numbers nobody actually scans. Run multiple two-carrier comparisons or use the broader leaderboards on /insights/ to rank a wider set.

A Safety Rating (Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory, or Unrated) comes from a formal FMCSA compliance review of the carrier's records — it's the agency's overall judgment after an audit. BASIC scores are seven category-specific percentile rankings (Unsafe Driving, HOS, Driver Fitness, Substances, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazmat, Crash Indicator) computed monthly from inspection and crash data. Most carriers are 'Unrated' simply because they've never been audited, even when their BASIC scores are clean.