Scoring Methodology
How we independently calculate carrier risk scores from publicly available federal data.
Overview
DaaS Whats Up analyzes over 30 publicly available government data sources to produce an independent carrier risk assessment. We compute two scores for every carrier: a Government-Standard Score that replicates published federal methodology, and a Gold Score that layers our proprietary analysis on top. The Gold Score is always at least as restrictive as the Government-Standard Score — we never assess a carrier more favorably than the federal baseline.
Dual Scoring System
Government-Standard Score
Replicates federally published methodology using the same inputs, time windows, severity weights, and peer grouping. This score serves as an immutable floor — it can never be overridden or weakened.
Gold Score
Adds proprietary signals including identity pattern detection, authority compliance analysis, and cross-source validation. The Gold Score is always equal to or more restrictive than the Government-Standard Score.
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.
Safety performance rankings are independently calculated by DaaS Whats Up 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 Detection
Our system analyzes observable patterns in public registration data to detect potential carrier reincarnation and shared-contact networks. 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.
Confidence Score
Every carrier assessment includes a confidence score (0–100) reflecting how much data is available to inform the assessment. Carriers with limited enforcement history, outdated filings, or missing data signals receive lower confidence scores.
Carriers are classified into archetypes based on data availability: Emerging (new entrants with minimal history), Developing (growing operational footprint), and Established (comprehensive data across all signals). Confidence influences how the Gold Score interprets borderline results — a low-confidence PASS may be upgraded to VERIFY as a precaution.
Decision States
Every carrier receives one of four advisory decision states based on the composite risk assessment:
No elevated risk signals detected. Carrier meets all authority requirements and has acceptable safety performance.
One or more signals warrant additional review. May indicate limited data, moderate risk factors, or identity patterns that merit verification before proceeding.
Significant risk signals present. Carrier has multiple adverse findings, high percentile rankings in safety categories, or notable identity pattern indicators.
Carrier is legally prohibited from operating. This reflects an active federal Out-of-Service order, revoked authority, or absence of required operating authority.
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.
| Source | Update Frequency | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA Census | Weekly | Carrier registration, officers, fleet size, equipment |
| FMCSA Inspections | Weekly | Roadside inspection results and outcomes |
| FMCSA Violations | Weekly | Violation codes, severity, and adjudication status |
| FMCSA Crashes | Weekly | Reportable crashes with severity classification |
| Authority Grants History | Weekly | Complete authority grant and revocation timeline |
| Out-of-Service Orders | Weekly | Active federal OOS orders |
| Carrier Current Status | Weekly | Real-time authority and insurance status |
| BOC-3 Process Agent History | Weekly | Registered process agents and office addresses |
| MC/MX Number Registry | Weekly | Motor carrier and broker number assignments |
| Company Census (MCS-150) | Biennial (carrier-filed) | Self-reported fleet, operations, and contact data |
| Revocation History | Weekly | Historical authority revocations with reasons |
| FMCSA Safety Ratings | As issued | Compliance review results (Satisfactory/Conditional/Unsatisfactory) |
| OIG Fugitives List | Monthly | HHS Office of Inspector General exclusions |
| SEC EDGAR Filings | Quarterly | Public company filings for entity validation |
| IRS EO/BMF | Quarterly | Tax-exempt organization records for entity validation |
| State Registrations (FL, TX) | Varies | 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.