Prevention guide

Carrier and Broker Verification Before Releasing Freight

Verify a carrier or broker through independent records before relying on an email, document, or phone call. Compare legal name, DOT and MC numbers, authority, addresses and trusted contacts; call a known number; confirm driver and equipment details; investigate last-minute changes; and stop the transaction when the identity or instructions cannot be reconciled.

Audience and scope: U.S. brokers, shippers, warehouses, carriers, dispatchers, and pickup personnel.

Author
FFVN Editorial Team
Editorial review
FFVN Editorial Team
Published
Last reviewed
01

Verification checklist

  • Look up the company in FMCSA SAFER and compare the legal name, address, phone, DOT number, MC number, and operating status.
  • Call a previously trusted or independently sourced number, not a number supplied only in the new message.
  • Match the driver, tractor, trailer, pickup number, facility instruction, and destination to the confirmed record.
  • Escalate changed contacts, domains, bank accounts, routes, or equipment before release.
Primary sources
02

Search results are not identity proof

FMCSA warns that top search results may not be reliable contact sources. Use official databases and established business contacts, and treat advertisements, lookalike websites, and unfamiliar support numbers cautiously.

Primary sources
03

Preserve evidence before accounts or messages change

  • Save the original rate confirmation, bill of lading, proof of delivery, invoices, dispatch records, and payment instructions.
  • Export emails with headers, text messages, call logs, platform messages, login alerts, and account-change notices.
  • Record dates, times, phone numbers, email addresses, URLs, IP or device alerts, DOT and MC numbers, vehicle details, locations, and names used.
  • Keep originals in read-only storage and work from copies. Do not publish personal, banking, login, or identity documents.
Related