Compare Motor Carriers | Side-by-Side Safety Analysis

How to Compare Motor Carriers Effectively

Comparing motor carriers side by side is one of the most effective ways to evaluate safety performance and make informed transportation decisions. Whether you are a shipper selecting a freight partner, a broker vetting carriers for your clients, or a consumer hiring a moving company, a structured comparison reveals differences that individual carrier reviews might miss.

Why Side-by-Side Comparison Matters

Raw safety numbers can be misleading without context. A carrier with 15 crashes may seem dangerous until you learn they operate 2,000 trucks across 48 states. Meanwhile, a carrier with 5 crashes operating just 10 trucks has a dramatically higher incident rate per vehicle. Our comparison tool helps you evaluate carriers within the proper context by displaying fleet size alongside crash data, allowing you to calculate meaningful ratios.

Which Metrics to Prioritize

When comparing carriers, focus on these key indicators in order of importance:

Fatal Crash History — The most serious indicator. Any fatal crashes within the 24-month monitoring period warrant careful scrutiny, especially for smaller carriers where even one incident represents a significant rate.
Safety Score — Our proprietary score (10-100) weights crash severity, providing a single comparable metric. Scores below 40 indicate elevated risk profiles that merit additional investigation.
Crash Rate Per Truck — Divide total crashes by fleet size for a normalized comparison. The industry average is approximately 1 crash per 100 trucks per year for large carriers.
Fleet Size and Driver Count — Larger operations generally have more resources for safety programs, training, and vehicle maintenance, though size alone does not guarantee safety.

Red Flags to Watch For

Warning Signs in Carrier Comparisons

Disproportionate fatal crashes: Multiple fatalities relative to fleet size suggest systemic safety failures rather than statistical variance.
Very low Safety Scores: Scores below 40 indicate a pattern of serious incidents that significantly exceeds what would be expected from normal operations.
High crash-to-truck ratios: A crash rate exceeding 5% of fleet size within 24 months places the carrier well above industry norms.
Minimal fleet with high crashes: Small carriers (under 20 trucks) with multiple crashes often lack the safety infrastructure of larger operations.

How to Interpret Safety Scores

The Trucking Record Safety Score provides a weighted assessment of carrier crash severity. The score starts at 100 and deducts points based on crash outcomes: fatal crashes receive the largest penalty (-30 points), injury crashes are weighted moderately (-10 points), and tow-away incidents receive smaller deductions (-2 points). Carriers with clean records and larger fleets receive a modest bonus reflecting the statistical significance of maintaining zero incidents across more vehicles.

When comparing carriers, look beyond the raw score to understand the composition. A carrier scoring 70 due to three tow-away crashes presents a very different risk profile than one scoring 70 due to a single fatal crash, even though the numbers are identical. Our comparison table breaks down crash categories so you can see exactly what drives each carrier's score.

Making Your Decision

Safety data should be one component of your carrier selection process, alongside factors like insurance coverage, operating authority scope, service reliability, and pricing. Use this comparison tool to narrow your options based on safety performance, then conduct additional due diligence on your finalists. For a comprehensive guide to the carrier vetting process, see our freight broker due diligence guide or learn how to check a trucking company's safety record.