How to check a freight broker before you book
Most freight problems start before the truck moves: a broker with no authority, a bond that lapsed, or someone pretending to be a broker they are not. Five checks, in order, take ten minutes and cost nothing.
1. Authority and bond, from the MC or USDOT number
Take the MC or USDOT number from the rate confirmation (not from the email signature) and look it up on FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance site. The authority must be active, the authority type must include broker, and a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund (form BMC-84 or BMC-85) must be on file with an insurer named. A pending revocation, a bond cancellation notice or a broker authority granted a few weeks ago on a high-value load deserve a phone call to the number on the FMCSA record, not the one in the email.
2. The identity has to match
Company name, address, phone number and email domain on the rate confirmation should match the FMCSA record, the broker's website and the person you are talking to. Free email addresses, a phone number that is not on the record, or a name on the rate confirmation that differs from the company that called are the usual signs that someone is using a real broker's identity.
3. Read the rate confirmation before you sign
It should name the broker, the shipper and receiver, the equipment, the pickup and delivery windows, the miles, the total pay including any fuel surcharge and accessorials, and the payment terms. Anything that has to be "sorted out later" is a reason to wait.
4. Pay terms and pay history
Net 30 is common; what matters is whether the broker keeps to it. Ask other carriers, check the credit services you already pay for, and ask before the load whether quick pay is available and at what percentage.
5. Watch for double brokering
- The pickup is a load another carrier was already assigned, or the shipper has a different broker's name on its paperwork.
- The rate is well above the lane and they push you to move before the paperwork is complete.
- They ask to change where the payment goes, or to invoice a different company than the one on the rate confirmation.
- The contact only ever uses a personal email or a messaging app.
What True Lanes adds
Members review brokers only for loads they delivered, tied to their own accepted rate confirmation, and report how many days the broker took to pay. A broker gets a score only after at least 3 reviews from 3 different members; until then the score stays close to the platform average, so a single review cannot make or break anyone. The authority status shown next to a broker is recorded from FMCSA with the date it was checked. None of this replaces the five checks above; it tells you what other drivers found after they ran them.
Questions
How do I check if a freight broker is legitimate?
Look the broker up by MC or USDOT number on FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance site: the authority must be active, the type must be broker, and a $75,000 surety bond or trust (BMC-84 or BMC-85) must be on file. Then make sure the company name, address, phone and email domain on the rate confirmation match that record and the person you are talking to.
What are the signs of double brokering?
The rate confirmation names a different company than the one that called you; the pickup is a load another carrier was already assigned; the contact uses a personal email or a number that is not on the FMCSA record; the rate is well above the lane and they push you to move before paperwork is done; or they ask to change where payment goes after the fact.
How do True Lanes broker reviews work?
Every review is written by a member about a load they delivered, tied to their own accepted rate confirmation, and members report how many days the broker took to pay. A broker gets a score only after at least 3 reviews from 3 different members, and the authority status shown is recorded from FMCSA with the date it was checked.
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Worked examples use the numbers shown and are not financial or pricing advice. Every member sets their own rates.