Frequently asked questions
Is this legit? It seems cheap.
Yes. We compute percentiles from FMCSA public data using their published SMS Methodology, and we validate against FMCSA's own alert flags every month. It's inexpensive because carriers are the foundation of our network — we make our money from brokers and shippers, not from charging carriers a fortune.
Why doesn't FMCSA just show me my percentile?
FMCSA publishes your raw measures and an alert flag, but it does not publish your percentile rank on the public SMS site. That percentile — how you rank against peers in your safety group — is the number brokers and insurers use to evaluate you. We compute it so you can see it too.
How accurate are your numbers?
We re-check our computed percentiles against FMCSA's published alert flags every month. When the data is insufficient to compute a reliable number, we say "suppressed — insufficient data" instead of guessing. See the methodology page for details.
How fresh is the data?
FMCSA releases SMS data on a roughly monthly cadence (the exact date varies). Every score we show is stamped with the FMCSA data month it was computed from, so you always know how current it is.
What do I get for free vs. paid?
Free (with an account): all 5 BASIC percentiles, the SMS percentile radar, your 12-month trend, violation drill-down, and peer comparison. Pro ($1.99/mo per carrier, or $20.99/yr): adds score-change alerts for the carriers you monitor, the SEG boundary view, the multi-lens view (FMCSA, insurance, and Amazon Relay thresholds), 30-day forecasting, VRM (table + forecast), brand compatibility, and exporting your safety snapshot (CSV / JSON).
Will this help me get loads?
Indirectly, yes. Brokers vet carriers on safety data, so a clean, verifiable profile is an easy yes. An introductions program — connecting carriers with brokers whose criteria they already meet — is planned but not live yet; today the win is walking into a broker conversation already knowing your numbers.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Plans are monthly (or annual if you choose), billed through Stripe, and you can cancel anytime.
Are you affiliated with FMCSA?
No. Carrier-Aware is a product of Viae LLC. We use FMCSA public data but are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FMCSA.