riskradar
Risk Radar
Carriers returned by this API have a Risk Profile attached to them in the risk_radar field. The risk profile builds a single risk ranking of a carrier based on over 40 different factors. Some factors are more important to the overall risk score than others- In other words, each factor contributes to the overall risk score differently.
We designed our ranking system to consider the same factors that brokers use when vetting carriers. So, the factors with the most weight tend to be common Red Flags that brokers look for when vetting carriers (No recent inspections, missing authority or authority pending cancellation, recent crashes, etc.)
Our system also lets risk factors decay and become less impactful over time, similar to how the FMCSA calculates SMS percentiles, where violations have a stronger weight if they occured recently; a smaller weight if they occured further back; and fall off after 2 years.
Finally, although we provide a single category for each carrier (Low, Elevated, High Risk, and Disqualified); we also list each contributing factor towards this rank. This helps when making a comparison amongst peers, as well as helps carriers to know how to improve their calculated score over time.
| Risk Category | Explanation |
| Low Risk | We categorize about 55% of carriers with Active Interstate Operating Authority as Low Risk. These companies represent the lowest hiring risk amongst their peers. Typically these companies have recent DOT Inspections, no recent crashes with fatalities, and a longer history of active authority. |
| Elevated Risk | We categorize about 25% of Carriers with Active Interstate Operating Authority as Elevated Risk. These companies represent a category that is a bit riskier than the average peer; but not as risky as the most-risky companies we could identify. These companies typically have at least one red flag, such as missing recent DOT inspections, a recent crash with fatalities, or authority that hasn't been active for a long period. |
| High Risk | The Riskiest 20% of carriers in our Database. These companies tend to have at least one red flag; and often have multiple red flags such as missing recent DOT Inspections, a recent crash with fatalities, and/or very new operating authority. |
| Disqualified | These companies have been identified as having at least one Hiring Disqualifier. See the Hiring Disqualifiers section below to learn more about what we consider a hiring disqualifier and why. |
Hiring Disqualifiers
Our system identifies any of the following scenarios as hiring disqualifiers:
- Missing Active Interstate Operating Authority for Transportation of Property or Household Goods
- Company is designated Out-of-Service
- Operation Classification is not a hirable category
If a carrier has a hiring disqualifier, it typically means they should not be hired for the interstate hauling of property. To learn more about which companies require authority to operate, visit https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/get-mc-number-authority-operate
Even though our system considers Passenger MC Authority as a hiring disqualifier, these companies are still hirable for the purpose of hauling passengers.
Types of Risk Factors
Below is a list of risk factors that can appear in the riskFactorsArr field
| Risk Category | Possible Values |
| Disqualifiers | "(Hiring Disqualifier) No Active Operating Authority" "(Hiring Disqualifier) Out-of-Service" "(Hiring Disqualifier) Operation Classification is not a hirable category" "(Passenger Designation) Operating Authority is for Passengers" "(Passenger Designation) FMCSA Profile indicates this is a Passenger Carrier" |
| Driving | "At least one crash within the last 2 years." "At least one crash within the last 6 months" "More than one crash within the last 2 years" "At least one crash involving fatalities within the last 2 years" "At least one drug/alcohol arrest following a DOT Inspection" "No DOT inspections within the last 12 months" "SMS Drugs & Alcohol is high" "SMS Hours of Service is high" "SMS Unsafe Driving percentile is high" "SMS Vehicle Maintenance percentile is high" "SMS Driver Fitness percentile is high" |
| Authority | "Authority is currently on Notice of Pending Cancellation" "Authority was on Notice of Pending Cancellation once in the past 12 months" "Authority was on Notice of Pending Cancellation multiple times in the past 2 years" "Authority active less than 2 years" "Authority active less than 1 year" "Authority active less than 6 months" "Authority has been transferred within the last 2 years" "Authority has been transferred multiple times within the last 2 years" |
| Activity | "No DOT inspections within the last 12 months" "Unusually low number of inspections for their fleet size" "Unusually high number of inspections for their fleet size" "No known tractor+trailer combination is associated with this company" |
| Profile | "This company matches with other companies" "This company's equipment has been seen used by other companies" "Address matches with other companies" "Email address matches with other companies" "This company matches with a brokerage" "This company matches with a high-risk company" "Email address matches with other companies" "Phone Number matches with other companies" "FMCSA Safety Rating is CONDITIONAL" "FMCSA Safety Rating is UNSATISFACTORY" "DOT# Active Less Than One Year" "DOT# Active Less Than 6 Months" "Address is a PO Box" "Missing contact info: Phone Number" "Missing contact info: Email Address" "Missing company representatives in their FMCSA profile" |
RiskRadar Object
The risk_radar object has the following properties
| field | description | ||||||||
| timestamp | The date and time the risk profile was last updated | ||||||||
| risk_level | Numeric value indicating risk level. Possible value are:
| ||||||||
| risk_label | Human-readable value for risk level. "Low Risk", "Elevated Risk", "High Risk", etc. | ||||||||
| factors | List of human-readable factors that contribute to the current risk rating. | ||||||||
| desc | Human-readable set of sentences describing the current risk rating and the factors envolved. |
Example Data
Here is an example of what type of information that might be contained in the risk_radar field:
"risk_radar": {
"timestamp": "2023-06-27T18:58:19.933Z",
"risk_level": 4,
"risk_label": "Low Risk",
"factors": [
"Unusually high number of inspections for their fleet size",
"Address matches with other companies"
],
"desc": "Recent roadside inspection(s) indicate regular operational activities, as well as a concrete example of a tractor and trailer in combination. This provides an additional datapoint with proof of current operations. No elevated Safety Measurement System (SMS) percentiles have been recorded against this company, hinting at satisfactory safety practices. One positive aspect is they have no recently-reported crashes (within the past 2 years). Despite a few potential concerns, this company is currently rated in the Low risk category."
},