Shipper Guides
Carrier vetting checklist: how to vet a trucking carrier
May 15, 2026 · 8 min read
Every legitimate motor carrier's operating authority, insurance filing and safety history is public. Ten minutes of verification eliminates most freight fraud and double-brokering exposure.
FMCSA's SAFER and Safety Measurement System let any shipper verify a carrier's authority, insurance filings and CSA BASIC percentiles for free.
Verify authority and insurance first
Start with the USDOT and MC numbers. FMCSA's SAFER system shows whether authority is active, what type it covers, the fleet size and the crash history. Insurance filings on record should match the certificate the carrier sends you — and the certificate should come from the insurer or broker, not as a forwarded PDF.
Read CSA scores in context
The Safety Measurement System groups violations into BASIC categories such as Unsafe Driving, HOS Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance and Driver Fitness. Percentiles compare carriers against peers of similar size, which means a small carrier can swing dramatically on a single inspection.
Look at trend and inspection volume, not just today's percentile. A carrier with 40 clean inspections and one bad month tells a very different story than a carrier with three inspections and two violations.
The double-brokering red flags
- Rate far below the lane market with no explanation
- Contact email domain that does not match the carrier's registered name
- Refusal to provide the driver's name and tractor number before pickup
- Payment instructions that change after the load is booked
- No verifiable GPS or ELD tracking offered