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Is this load or broker legit?

18 questions before you roll.

Yes is the safe answer. Not sure is a flag. This does not certify anyone. It tells you whether to slow down.

Step 1: Look it up in official records

  1. Find the MC or USDOT number on the paperwork. Search it in FMCSA SAFER (Company Snapshot). FMCSA warns that top search results for a company can be fake profiles, so confirm phone numbers through SAFER.
  2. Match the legal name, address and phone number to what you were given. If the record shows a different name, stop.
  3. Open FMCSA Licensing & Insurance. Check that operating authority is active and that insurance (carrier) or a bond or trust filing (broker) is on file.
  4. Call the number from the official record, and ask them to confirm the load and who is hauling it.

Sources: FMCSA: Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft; FBI IC3 PSA; NMFTA on SCAC.

Already lost freight or money?

Skip the list. Call 911 if anyone is in danger, then go to I got hit: what to do, in order.

Step 2: Answer the 18 questions

0 of 18 answered · 0 flags

Answer the list. “Not sure” counts as a flag. Unchecked is not the same as fine.

  1. 01Hard stop if flagged

    Does the legal name on the rate confirmation and bill of lading match the FMCSA record for that MC or USDOT number, not just a similar name?

    Thieves borrow a real number and change the name just enough to slip past a glance.

    Does the legal name on the rate confirmation and bill of lading match the FMCSA record for that MC or USDOT number, not just a similar name?

  2. 02

    Did you call the phone number on the FMCSA record, not the number in the email or the text?

    The number in the message is the one they control. The number on file is the one the company filed.

    Did you call the phone number on the FMCSA record, not the number in the email or the text?

  3. 03

    Is the email from the company’s own domain, spelled exactly as on its real website, and not a free inbox or a look-alike?

    Look-alike domains and free inboxes are the cheapest tool in this business.

    Is the email from the company’s own domain, spelled exactly as on its real website, and not a free inbox or a look-alike?

  4. 04Hard stop if flagged

    Is the operating authority active in FMCSA’s Licensing & Insurance record?

    It is a public record and takes a minute to check. Missing or inactive authority is a hard stop.

    Is the operating authority active in FMCSA’s Licensing & Insurance record?

  5. 05Hard stop if flagged

    Is an insurance filing (carrier) or a bond or trust filing (broker) on file, and not recently cancelled?

    FMCSA keeps these filings on record, so you can check against something the carrier didn’t email you.

    Is an insurance filing (carrier) or a bond or trust filing (broker) on file, and not recently cancelled?

  6. 06

    If you are the broker: did the insurance certificate come from the agent or insurer, and do the legal name, policy and truck on it match?

    A PDF the carrier emails you can be edited. The agent and the VIN are harder to fake on the spot.

    If you are the broker: did the insurance certificate come from the agent or insurer, and do the legal name, policy and truck on it match?

  7. 07

    Are the pickup address, pickup number, and shipper the same on the rate confirmation and the bill of lading, with no late change?

    A last-minute address change is how a real load gets steered to a fake dock.

    Are the pickup address, pickup number, and shipper the same on the rate confirmation and the bill of lading, with no late change?

  8. 08

    Since you took the load, has no one asked to change the carrier, the delivery, or who gets paid?

    A new voided check or a new factoring notice, sent after booking, is a classic tell.

    Since you took the load, has no one asked to change the carrier, the delivery, or who gets paid?

  9. 09

    Are invoices and payment instructions going to the broker’s or factor’s own business address and account, with any notice of assignment confirmed by phone?

    Real brokers do not change payment routing outside their own systems, so a notice that arrives by email only needs a call.

    Are invoices and payment instructions going to the broker’s or factor’s own business address and account, with any notice of assignment confirmed by phone?

  10. 10

    Is the rate in line with the lane, and are you free to check before booking, with no rush?

    A rate that is too good, plus a clock, is there to stop you from making the phone call.

    Is the rate in line with the lane, and are you free to check before booking, with no rush?

  11. 11

    Are the shipper and pickup details shown up front, not hidden until you commit (no blind load)?

    FMCSA’s guidance says to stop if the load is a blind load.

    Are the shipper and pickup details shown up front, not hidden until you commit (no blind load)?

  12. 12Hard stop if flagged

    Has no one asked you or your driver to present as a different carrier, or to say anything untrue?

    FMCSA says to stop if anyone asks this.

    Has no one asked you or your driver to present as a different carrier, or to say anything untrue?

  13. 13Hard stop if flagged

    Has no one sent you a link to an “agreement” or a “review,” or asked you to install software to view a document?

    The FBI describes both as lures that can install remote-monitoring software.

    Has no one sent you a link to an “agreement” or a “review,” or asked you to install software to view a document?

  14. 14Hard stop if flagged

    Is no one asking for a fee or a wire to “release” the load, or pressing you to keep the police out of it?

    A surprise payment demand from someone you never booked with is not an accessorial. It is a ransom.

    Is no one asking for a fee or a wire to “release” the load, or pressing you to keep the police out of it?

  15. 15

    Will the carrier or broker let you call the warehouse, and name who is picking up?

    “Don’t call the shipper” is not a service preference. It is cover.

    Will the carrier or broker let you call the warehouse, and name who is picking up?

  16. 16

    At pickup, do the driver’s ID, the tractor and trailer plates, and the USDOT/MC number match what the carrier sent you?

    That is the moment a fictitious pickup shows itself.

    At pickup, do the driver’s ID, the tractor and trailer plates, and the USDOT/MC number match what the carrier sent you?

  17. 17

    Is the freight going straight to the named receiver, with no request to cross-dock or transload it to another driver?

    The FBI describes freight transloaded to complicit drivers.

    Is the freight going straight to the named receiver, with no request to cross-dock or transload it to another driver?

  18. 18

    Does the carrier’s history make sense for what they claim: authority age, inspections, and no recent unexplained change of phone, email or owner?

    A brand-new authority with five trucks and no inspections, hauling electronics, deserves a slower yes.

    Does the carrier’s history make sense for what they claim: authority age, inspections, and no recent unexplained change of phone, email or owner?

Back to your result

The checklist runs in your browser. Nothing you pick is sent or saved. It is built from warning signs published by FMCSA, the FBI and others (see the pattern library for each source). It is a prompt to verify, not a legal or investigative determination about any company.