How Our Trust Score Works
Every company gets a score from 0 to 100, calculated only from FMCSA public records. Car haulers and brokers are scored differently because FMCSA tracks different things for each. Paid plans never change a score.
Car haulers (carriers)
| Factor | Points | How it's calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Operating history | 30 | 3 points per year since the company registered its USDOT number (10+ years = full points). |
| Liability insurance | 30 | Full points when at least $750,000 of liability insurance is on file with FMCSA — the federal minimum for most general freight carriers. |
| Safety rating | 20 | Satisfactory = 20 · not rated = 14 (most small carriers are never rated) · Conditional = 5 · Unsatisfactory = 0. |
| Registration current | 10 | Carriers must update their MCS-150 registration at least every two years. Full points if updated within 2 years. |
| Profile completeness | 10 | Phone and location on file with FMCSA. |
Auto transport brokers
| Factor | Points | How it's calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Authority age | 30 | 3 points per year since broker authority was first granted (10+ years = full points). |
| Bond on file | 25 | A current BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust fund ($75,000) — what customers and carriers can claim against. |
| Revocation history | 20 | Minus 10 per involuntary revocation in the last 5 years, minus 2 per older one. |
| Filing stability | 15 | Minus 7 per bond coverage gap in 3 years and 5 per involuntary suspension. |
| Profile completeness | 10 | Phone and address on file with FMCSA. |
What we don't score — and why
Cargo insurance. FMCSA only requires household-goods movers to file cargo insurance, so most car haulers have none on file even when they carry it. We show what's filed, but always ask the company for its certificate of insurance and check the coverage covers your car's value.
Reviews and prices. We don't have verified review or price data yet, so we don't pretend to.
Data sources
FMCSA Company Census (registration, cargo types, fleet, safety rating) and operating-authority and insurance records from both the legacy Licensing & Insurance system and the new Motus system (which took over in May 2026). Car haulers are carriers whose registered cargo is mainly motor vehicles; auto transport brokers are licensed brokers whose name shows they specialize in vehicles.
carmove.broker is not affiliated with FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. Always confirm a company's status on FMCSA SAFER before booking.