How to check out a carrier in ten minutes.
Cargo theft and double-brokering are the two fastest-growing problems in freight, and both are almost entirely preventable with free public data and ten minutes of attention. Here is the check, in order, including the step most people skip.
How do I verify a trucking company is legitimate?
Look up the MC or USDOT number on the FMCSA SAFER system and confirm the operating authority is active and not revoked. Get the insurance certificate directly from the insurance agent, not from the carrier. Read the safety scores. Check how long the authority has existed. Confirm in writing that the load will not be re-brokered.
In this order, because the order matters.
- 01
Confirm the authority is active
Look up the MC or USDOT number on the FMCSA SAFER system. You want 'Authorized For Property' with no revocation and no out-of-service order. A carrier whose authority lapsed last month still has letterhead.
- 02
Verify insurance at the source
Ask for the certificate to come directly from the insurance agent with you named as certificate holder. A PDF forwarded by the carrier proves nothing, and forged certificates are one of the most common tools in freight fraud. Check the expiry date, and check the cargo limit against the value of what you are shipping.
- 03
Read the safety record
The FMCSA Safety Measurement System publishes percentile scores by category. Unsafe Driving and Vehicle Maintenance are the two that correlate most closely with claims. A high percentile is bad; it means worse than that share of comparable carriers.
- 04
Check the operating history
How long has this authority been active? A new MC number is not disqualifying — every carrier had one — but a brand-new authority carrying a high-value load is a combination worth a second thought, because double-brokering rings churn through new authorities.
- 05
Get the no-re-brokering commitment in writing
Ask directly: will this load be hauled on your own truck, or placed with another carrier? Both answers can be fine. Not being told is not fine, and this is the step most shippers skip.
The load moves. Then nobody gets paid.
Double-brokering is when a company accepts a load, then hands it to a different carrier without telling the shipper. Sometimes it is a capacity shortfall handled badly. Increasingly it is deliberate: an entity accepts the load, a real carrier hauls it, the shipper pays the first entity, the first entity disappears, and the carrier who actually did the work comes looking for its money from the only party left standing — you.
It is also the standard method for stolen freight. A load handed to an unvetted party is a load nobody is watching. The defence is the same in both cases: know who has physical custody of your freight, in writing, before it moves.
Any one of these earns a second look.
- A rate far below every other quote. Nobody hauls at a loss for fun.
- Insurance certificate sent by the carrier rather than by the agent.
- An authority activated in the last few months quoting nationwide capacity.
- A phone number that only ever goes to voicemail and email that comes from a free consumer domain.
- Reluctance to name the driver or give the truck number.
- A large deposit demanded up front on a consumer vehicle move.
Run this on us. Prime Trans is MC 1575910 and USDOT 4120654. Look it up on SAFER, ask our agent for the certificate directly, and read the safety record. A carrier that tells you how to check it is a carrier that expects to pass.
Straight answers
Where do I look up a trucking company?
The FMCSA SAFER system at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Search by MC number, USDOT number or company name. It is free, public, and shows authority status, insurance on file, fleet size and inspection history.
What is a good CSA score?
Lower percentiles are better; they express how a carrier compares with similar carriers. Watch Unsafe Driving and Vehicle Maintenance in particular. Note that a carrier with too few inspections may show no percentile at all, which is not the same as a good one.
Should I worry about a carrier with no safety rating?
Not necessarily. A safety rating is assigned after a compliance review, and many perfectly sound carriers have never had one, especially newer ones. Unrated is not the same as unsafe — but it does mean you should look harder at the inspection data instead.
Can I ask which driver is on my load?
Yes, and you should. A carrier hauling your freight on its own truck can tell you the driver's name and the truck number. Not being able to answer is itself the answer.
Read next
Compliance
Authority, insurance limits, safety, ELD tracking, driver qualification and a written claims process. COI and carrier packet on request.
Read onBrokerage & capacity
How Prime Trans places freight it cannot haul on its own trucks: vetted partner carriers under our brokerage authority, disclosed in writing, with the carrier's name and insurance shown to you before the load moves.
Read onCarrier packet
What is in our carrier packet and how to get it, plus a certificate of insurance naming you as certificate holder.
Read onStill want a person to answer it?
We would rather talk you out of the wrong service than sell you one. Tell us what you are moving.