A single API call that bundles FMCSA safety data, SAM exclusions, and OFAC screening into a clear/flag verdict for freight brokers.
“Market-tested” means a real shipped product or experiment measured the failure directly (a live user count, a dead auction, a documented shutdown). “Predicted” means the verdict is an evidence-based forecast from the receipts below, not a direct measurement.
Brokers demonstrably pay $100+/month for carrier vetting (Highway, Carrier411, FreightGuard-era tools) and 2026 events (broker-liability jurisprudence, FMCSA system transitions) keep the pain current. We shipped a test: a composed FMCSA carrier-safety bundle on the Apify marketplace reached 2 users and $0 revenue over its first months live. The market answered directly.
Free floor at every layer: FMCSA's SAFER and QCMobile lookups are free, 6+ free web lookup/monitoring tools exist, and free developer-API tiers already serve the exact composed verdict shape. The Apify shelf is a measured graveyard: ~13 recent FMCSA-actor entrants all at 3 or fewer users, with the exact composed shape sitting at 1 user. The decisive flaw is WTP misattribution: what brokers' $100+/month actually buys is proprietary fraud-network and identity data for catching double-brokering — data that no recombination of public sources can replicate. And a machine 'clear' verdict carries negligent-selection liability exposure (Schramm v. Foster line of cases) that a $20/month tool cannot absorb. Realistic revenue: $0-30/month.
If the free official lookup APIs were permanently withdrawn without free replacements AND the current actor glut cleared, a paid wrapper gets a second look. The proprietary-fraud-data gap would still cap it well below what incumbents charge — that ceiling is structural.
We build data tools on the shelves that aren't dead — see the tools hub →