How to Verify a Freight Carrier Before Assigning a Load

Published March 2026 · 5 min read

Every freight broker who has been in the business long enough knows someone who got burned by a bad carrier. Cargo theft, double brokering, uninsured loads, carriers operating under someone else's authority — these are not edge cases. They happen every week. Knowing how to verify a freight carrier before assigning a load is the single most important operational skill a broker can develop. The brokers who do it consistently avoid most of the disasters. The ones who skip it eventually pay for it.

Check FMCSA SAFER First

The FMCSA SAFER system is your starting point. Every legitimate motor carrier in the United States has a USDOT number and, if they broker or haul interstate freight, an MC number. When you look up a carrier on SAFER, you are checking whether their operating authority is active, what type of authority they hold, and whether they have ever been placed out of service.

Specifically, confirm that the carrier's operating authority status says “ACTIVE” — not “INACTIVE,” “REVOKED,” or “NOT AUTHORIZED.” Check whether they hold common carrier authority (for-hire), contract authority, or broker authority. A carrier that only holds broker authority cannot legally haul freight themselves. Look at the “Out of Service” date field — if there is one, the carrier was shut down at some point, and you need to understand why before proceeding.

Verify Insurance Coverage

A carrier can have active authority and still be a liability if their insurance is insufficient or lapsed. The industry standard minimums are $1,000,000 in general liability and $100,000 in cargo insurance. These are minimums — many shippers require higher limits, and you should know your shipper's requirements before booking.

Pay attention to whether the insurance status shows as “Active” or “Pending.” Active means the policy is currently in force. Pending typically means a cancellation notice has been filed and the coverage will lapse soon. Never assign a load to a carrier with pending insurance cancellation. Also confirm the insurance is provided by a recognized underwriter — not a company you have never heard of.

Screen for Federal Sanctions

This is the step most brokers skip, and it is the one that carries the most serious legal consequences. SAM.gov maintains the federal government's list of excluded and debarred entities — companies and individuals who are barred from receiving federal contracts or subcontracts. If a carrier appears on this list, doing business with them can expose you to federal liability.

The OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list is maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department and identifies individuals and entities subject to economic sanctions. Transacting with anyone on this list is a federal offense, regardless of whether you knew they were listed. These are not checks you do because they are common — you do them because the consequences of missing one are severe.

Search for Adverse News

A carrier can pass every database check and still be a problem. Adverse news searches catch what databases miss — fraud allegations, theft reports, complaints on freight forums, lawsuits, and patterns of behavior that have not yet resulted in formal action. Search the carrier's legal name, DBA name, and the names of its principals in combination with terms like “fraud,” “theft,” “complaint,” and “double broker.”

Red flags include multiple complaints across different platforms, allegations of cargo theft or non-payment, sudden name changes, and carriers whose online presence does not match the scale of their claimed operations. A carrier claiming 50 trucks that has no website, no reviews, and a Google Voice phone number warrants further investigation.

Document What You Checked and When

This is where most brokers fail — not because they did not check, but because they did not record what they checked. If a load goes wrong and you end up in litigation, “I looked them up online” is not a defense. You need a timestamped record showing exactly what data you reviewed, what the carrier's status was at the time, and when you ran the check.

Screenshots can be altered and backdated. Printouts can be fabricated. What holds up is a verifiable record — something with a timestamp and a method of proving the document has not been modified since it was created. This is not about paranoia. It is about having a defensible process that protects you when something outside your control goes wrong.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.