Research method and right of reply

1. Truth from records and dated rows

Every sentence on a Haulest research page points to a public record we can produce or to a dated review count in our corpus. When we cite a government register (FMCSA Motor Carrier Census, L&I authority history, state or provincial registers, or court dockets), we record the source link, the date of the record itself, and the date our desk read and archived it.

2. Words we use, and words we do not

Our pages state what a record or phrase count shows; the reader draws the conclusion.

• No conclusions on a company's intent. When public records show shared details (such as a phone number or street address shared across multiple USDOT numbers), we state the shared field and the dates on the register. Shared addresses and phones can have innocent explanations, including virtual offices, multi-tenant commercial buildings, franchises, or family firms.
• Counts, not grades. On Review signals, movers with 50 or more held reviews are listed by the exact count and percentage of reviews matching each phrase family (held goods, price changes, damage, late delivery, no-shows, careful wrapping, and on-time arrival). We never combine those counts into a proprietary risk score or letter grade.
• Agency and court terms only when quoting the record. Words describing legal liability or violations appear only when quoting an agency order, court finding, or docket entry, with the source linked and dated.

3. Right of reply before publishing record entries

Before a company is named on a public-record research entry (such as an enforcement or shared-record note), our desk emails the company and contacts the address on its official filing. The company has 10 business days to respond before the entry is indexed. Any response from the company is printed in full beneath the entry, unedited except for personal contact details.

4. Customer reports (/report)

Reports submitted through Report a mover or broker are stored privately for our research desk. Nothing from a customer report is published automatically, and a reporter's name is never published. Verified reports are used to open public-record checks (for example, checking FMCSA authority history or state dockets); an unverified report never becomes a published allegation on its own.

5. Corrections within two working days

Every research page and company profile links to our corrections policy. If a number, USDOT status, or record date does not match the official source, email info@haulest.com with the page URL and supporting documentation. Documented factual errors are fixed within two working days and logged with the date of the fix.