Broker Vetting Checklist
Verify freight brokers before you load. Check for double brokering red flags, FMCSA compliance, and payment risks with this 18-point verification checklist.
Protect Yourself from Freight Broker Fraud
Freight fraud costs carriers billions of dollars every year. Double brokering — where a broker illegally re-brokers your load to another party — is one of the fastest-growing scams in trucking. The carrier delivers the freight, but the payment never arrives because an unauthorized middleman pocketed it. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), broker fraud complaints have increased significantly in recent years.
This checklist walks you through 18 verification items across four categories: FMCSA compliance, double brokering red flags, contract and payment verification, and communication warning signs. Check off each item as you verify it, and the tool calculates a risk level based on how many flags you find. It takes five minutes and can save you thousands of dollars on a single load.
For a deeper dive into protecting your operation, read our guide to double brokering protection and learn how to choose a dispatch company that vets every broker before presenting you with a load.
Broker Information
Enter the broker's details, then work through each verification item below. Check off each item you've confirmed.
FMCSA Lookup Resources
🏛️FMCSA Verification
0/5🚩Double Brokering Red Flags
0/5📋Contract & Payment Verification
0/4📞Communication Red Flags
0/4Frequently Asked Questions
Double brokering happens when a broker re-brokers your load to another broker without the shipper's knowledge. It's dangerous because the second broker often collects payment from the shipper but never pays the carrier. You deliver the load, but the money disappears through an unauthorized middleman. The FMCSA prohibits this practice, and it's one of the most common freight fraud schemes affecting owner-operators.
Start by looking up their MC number on the FMCSA SAFER system (safer.fmcsa.dot.gov). Verify they have ACTIVE operating authority, a $75,000 surety bond on file, and current insurance. Check how long they've been operating. Then search for them on major load boards like DAT and Truckstop — legitimate brokers maintain profiles there. Finally, ask for a written rate confirmation and verify their physical address and office phone number.
The top warning signs include: rates significantly above market (if it seems too good to be true, it is), pressure to accept immediately without time to verify, communication only via text or WhatsApp with no office line, reluctance to share their MC number, no physical address that can be verified, and insistence on using a specific unfamiliar factoring company. If you see three or more of these signs, walk away from the load.
Stop before you load. Do not pick up cargo until you've verified the broker through FMCSA SAFER. If you've already loaded, contact the original shipper directly to confirm the load and the authorized broker. Report suspected fraud to the FMCSA at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238). You can also file a complaint online at the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database. Document everything — texts, emails, rate confirmations, and phone call records.
Use two free FMCSA tools: the SAFER system at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov to check authority status, safety records, and insurance, and the Licensing & Insurance portal at li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov to verify bond filings and detailed licensing information. Enter the broker's MC or DOT number to pull up their complete record. Both tools are free and available 24/7.
Our Dispatchers Vet Every Broker for You
We check FMCSA authority, bond status, payment history, and load board reputation on every single load before we present it. No fraud risk, no surprises, no unpaid invoices.