Public records only
Every report starts from a public government dataset, named with its ID and the date we pulled it, so anyone can rebuild the list we started from.
S4L Research
QuarterlyBuilt on public recordsFree to cite
Original data on how logistics companies show up online. We start from public FMCSA records, check what a shipper or carrier actually finds when they look a company up, and publish the totals every quarter, with every source and method on the page.
Reports
Published research
The first report, the New Freight Broker Report for Q3 2026, publishes in November 2026.
How we work
Six rules every number has to pass
These come before speed and before a good headline. If a figure can't meet all six, it doesn't go in a report.
Proof before a site counts
A website counts as a company's only when the page proves it: the domain matches their registration, or the page shows their own MC or USDOT number, phone or address.
We say what we tried
When we can't find something, we say exactly that and how we looked. Search engines miss pages, and we won't turn a miss into a claim.
Checked before publishing
A random sample of every automated result is re-checked before publishing: by a person for website findings, and against a fresh pull of FMCSA's records for authority dates. What we found is printed on the page.
Totals, never names
We publish percentages and counts. No company is named and no contact detail is published.
Dated and corrected in public
Every number carries the date it was measured. If a figure changes after publishing, the report says what changed and why.
Schedule
When each report comes out
| Edition | Covers | Publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | Brokers authorized July – September 2026 | November 2026 |
| Q4 2026 | Brokers authorized October – December 2026 | February 2027 |
Each report goes out four to six weeks after its quarter closes, so every company in it has held authority for at least a month when we check.
Using our research
Free to cite, with a link
Journalists, analysts and anyone else can use the figures under CC BY 4.0. Credit S4L Research and link to the report you are quoting. Each report has a ready-to-paste citation and a download of the totals.
For the methodology, a figure we haven't published, or a comment, email nic@s4l.io.
Next step
Want your own site checked against the same standard?
The checks in these reports are the ones we build every logistics site to pass. Tell us what you broker, haul or move.