Research standard

Survey results should be auditable, not decorative.

AICA does not currently publish carrier-voted rankings. This page defines the evidence that must exist before any future survey result, award, score, or “best” label appears on the site.

Protocol v1.0 · published before collection

2026 Carrier Services Benchmark

Review the locked Wave 1 questions, carrier-screening rules, minimum samples, analysis plan, and limitations for the freight factoring benchmark.

Read the protocol

Show the sample

Every result will display response count, collection dates, carrier type, and relevant fleet-size breakdowns.

Publish the questions

Readers will be able to see the wording, response options, eligibility rules, and how each score was calculated.

Separate money from scoring

Affiliate or sponsorship relationships will be disclosed and will not change a survey score or editorial result.

Label every limitation

Self-selection, small samples, unverified responses, and other material limits will appear beside the result.

How a future comparison study will work

  1. 1

    Define the decision

    Choose one narrow question, such as load-board value for one-to-five-truck carriers, before collecting responses.

  2. 2

    Pre-publish the scoring method

    Set eligibility, duplicate controls, scoring weights, minimum sample, and tie handling before viewing results.

  3. 3

    Collect structured evidence

    Ask about actual use, price paid, operating profile, time period, and a small number of decision-relevant outcomes.

  4. 4

    Clean and analyze

    Remove ineligible or duplicate responses under the published rules and preserve the underlying count for each chart.

  5. 5

    Publish with limits

    Show the questionnaire, dates, sample, calculations, relevant commercial relationships, and reasons the result may not generalize.

What exists now

  • Published 2026 benchmark protocol and questions
  • Source-linked service directories
  • Provider-reported data labeled as such
  • Visible review dates and commercial disclosures
  • Educational comparison frameworks

What does not exist yet

  • No statistically representative carrier panel
  • No carrier-voted provider awards
  • No paid placements or affiliate rankings
  • No newsletter signup until a dedicated system is ready

Use the current sourced comparisons

Until survey evidence exists, AICA helps carriers compare provider-published terms and run their own operational test.

Browse comparison hubs