Practical business help for owner-operators and 1–5 truck fleets · Southwest Virginia & the I-81 corridor
Small Fleet Desk
Compliance

How to check a freight broker before you haul

Freight fraud and double brokering hit small carriers hardest. Ten minutes of checking can save you a load you never get paid for. Educational only.

Small Fleet Desk staff
· 2 min read

The 10-minute check

  1. Look up the broker's MC/USDOT number on FMCSA's SAFER and Licensing & Insurance sites. Confirm broker authority is active and the name matches the rate con. FACT-CHECK
  2. Check that the broker has a bond or trust on file (brokers must; the L&I site shows it). FACT-CHECK
  3. Call the phone number listed on FMCSA or the company's own website, not the number in the email, and confirm the load and the person.
  4. Compare the email domain to the company's real website. Look for lookalike spellings and free email accounts.
  5. Check days-to-pay and credit on your load board or factoring tools if you have them, and ask other carriers.
  6. Read the rate confirmation fully: pickup, delivery, rate, detention, and who you're contracted with.

Red flags

  • Authority only weeks old with a high-value load
  • Rate well above market with pressure to move fast
  • Change of delivery address or contact mid-load
  • Requests to pay a fee, or to send payment info by text
  • Name on the rate con doesn't match the MC number

If something goes wrong

Document everything, contact the real broker using verified numbers, and report fraud to FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database. FACT-CHECK For payment disputes or bond claims, talk to an attorney; this isn't legal advice.