Carrier vetting checklist
Carrier Vetting Checklist Before Tendering a Load
Before you tender the load, make sure the carrier identity, authority, insurance, and safety signals deserve the freight.
The checklist
Make carrier review a standard step, not a last-minute scramble.
Brokers and shippers already check rate, lane, and capacity. Carrier vetting belongs in that same decision — a short, repeatable check that runs before every tender, not only after a claim or a missing truck.
A consistent checklist protects cargo, keeps compliance clean, and makes it easier to spot the carrier whose details do not line up.
Verify active authority and authority age.
Check insurance coverage, limits, and expiration.
Review safety rating, inspection and OOS history, and crashes.
Match dispatch contact and email to the carrier of record.
Watch for double-brokering and re-brokering signals.
Practical process
A legitimate carrier survives basic verification.
Established carriers expect brokers and shippers to verify authority and insurance. If a carrier rushes paperwork, uses an email domain that does not match, or changes dispatch details repeatedly, it may be worth a closer look before tendering.
SureLoadr brings that review into one fast report so the checklist is the same on every load.
Broker & shipper questions
Carrier vetting FAQ
Practical answers for brokers and shippers vetting carriers before tendering a load.
What should be on a carrier vetting checklist?
Confirm the carrier's legal name, DOT, and MC number; verify active authority and its age; check insurance coverage, limits, and expiration; review safety ratings, FMCSA SMS data, and crash history; and watch for double-brokering or identity red flags.
Why do brokers and shippers vet carriers?
Vetting protects cargo, limits liability, keeps compliance clean, and reduces the chance of tendering freight to a carrier that double-brokers the load or cannot respond to a claim.
How often should a carrier be re-vetted?
Insurance, authority, and safety data change over time, so carriers should be re-checked periodically — and monitoring can alert you when a watched carrier's authority lapses or insurance drops.
SureLoadr
Vet before you tender.
SureLoadr helps brokers and shippers run the same carrier check every time — authority, insurance, safety, and double-brokering risk — in one report before the load is tendered.