Carrier Safety Checklist: 7 Things Every Freight Broker Should Verify

Published March 2026 · 4 min read

A consistent carrier safety checklist is what separates freight brokers who get burned from those who do not. When you vet every carrier the same way, every time, you build a defensible process that protects you and your shippers. When you skip steps or cut corners under time pressure, you create liability. Here are the seven checks every broker should run before assigning a load.

1. Confirm Active Operating Authority

Verify that the carrier has an active USDOT number and MC number with FMCSA. The authority status must say “ACTIVE” — not inactive, revoked, or not authorized. Also confirm the type of authority matches what they are offering to do. A company with only broker authority cannot legally haul your freight.

2. Verify Insurance Coverage

Check that the carrier carries at least $1,000,000 in general liability and $100,000 in cargo insurance. These are industry standard minimums — your shipper may require higher limits. Critically, confirm the insurance status is “Active,” not “Pending.” Pending means a cancellation notice has been filed and coverage will lapse soon. Never assign a load to a carrier with pending insurance.

3. Check Time in Business

Most experienced brokers require a carrier to have at least six months of operating history. This is not a regulation, but it is the industry standard for a reason — new carriers are statistically more likely to be involved in fraud and more likely to have safety issues. Calculate time in business from the carrier's MCS-150 date or the date their authority was first granted.

4. Review Inspection History and OOS Rates

FMCSA tracks every roadside inspection a carrier undergoes. The two numbers that matter most are the vehicle out-of-service (OOS) rate and the driver OOS rate. Compare these to the national averages — approximately 20.7% for vehicles and 5.5% for drivers. A carrier significantly above these averages has a pattern of serious violations.

5. Check Crash History

Review the carrier's crash data on FMCSA. Look at both the frequency and the severity of crashes relative to the carrier's fleet size. A small carrier with multiple crashes in a short period is a different risk profile than a large carrier with a few incidents over several years. Context matters, but a pattern of crashes should not be ignored.

6. Screen for Federal Sanctions

Check the carrier against SAM.gov (federal exclusions and debarment) and the OFAC SDN list (Treasury Department sanctions). A carrier appearing on either list is a serious red flag with potential federal legal consequences. This is the step most brokers skip, and it is the one that carries the most severe liability if missed.

7. Search for Adverse News

Search the carrier's legal name, DBA, and principals for fraud allegations, theft reports, complaints, and double brokering history. Check freight forums, industry groups, and general web search. A carrier can be clean on every database and still have a pattern of complaints that only shows up in adverse news. This check catches what the databases miss.