How we scored the field

This audit evaluates how each carrier competes for truckload shippers. Not how big it is, but how it positions, presents, and converts. Scale and ad-spend figures appear as supporting evidence. They never drive a score.

The five lenses. Every carrier is scored on five dimensions:

• Positioning: who they are and what they stand for to a shipper.
• Service Architecture: how their portfolio is structured and presented.
• Inbound & Content: content strategy, video and media investment, gated assets, case studies.
• Conversion: how a shipper goes from interested to in-touch, including CTAs, quote flow, and self-serve tooling.
• Audience: who they target, by vertical, geography, company size, and whether they speak to shippers or to recruits.

The scale. Each lens is scored 1 to 5 on an absolute standard (Behind 1 to 2, At-par 3, Competitive 4, Leader 5) against fixed definitions, not graded on a curve against the other carriers. A carrier earns a tier by meeting that tier's published requirements, with evidence to back it.

The cohort. Averitt is scored as the benchmark against six competitors selected with Roux: J.B. Hunt, Schneider, Werner, Landstar, Western Express, and Big G.

How we keep it honest. Two disciplines protect every finding:

• Evidence first, scores second. The research gathers and tags evidence from public sources before any score is assigned. Scores are derived from that evidence. Counts and ad data corroborate but never decide a tier.
• Verified, not assumed. Key findings were cross-checked directly against the carriers' live sites, including each carrier's quote experience and Averitt's case-study library, so the scores reflect what a shipper actually sees today. Every answer in the chat traces back to a specific piece of that evidence.