Start with SAFER
Every check starts on SAFER (opens in a new tab), FMCSA's public company snapshot. Search by the MC or USDOT number the broker gave you, not by name. Names get copied. Numbers point to one record.
Look at three things on the record. First, the entity type and operating authority: a broker should show active authority as a property broker, not just a carrier authority. Second, the address and phone number: you will use that number in the next step. Third, the licensing and insurance details, where a broker's financial security appears.
Every licensed property broker must keep $75,000 (opens in a new tab) of financial security with FMCSA, as a surety bond (form BMC-84) or a trust fund (form BMC-85). If the record shows no bond or trust on file, or shows it cancelled, you have no protection if the load is never paid. Our glossary explains both forms in plain words.
Call the number FMCSA lists
The single best fraud check takes two minutes. Call the phone number on the broker's SAFER record and ask for the person who sent you the load.
FMCSA's fraud guidance (opens in a new tab) tells carriers to check phone numbers against SAFER and call the posted number, and not to trust search results alone. Fraudsters build look alike websites and buy search ads for real broker names. They send rate confirmations on copied letterhead from email domains that differ from the real one by a single letter.
Compare the email address on the rate con with the domain on the broker's real website. Look for a swapped letter, an extra word or a free email service. If the person on the phone at the listed number has never heard of the load, stop. That one call will save you from most identity theft schemes, because the scammer cannot answer the real company's main line.
Red flags FMCSA warns about
FMCSA lists the patterns that show up again and again in broker and carrier fraud. Learn them before you need them.
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Rate far above market | Bait for cargo theft or a payment scam |
| Asked to run under another company's name | Hides who is really hauling |
| A blind load you cannot verify | You cannot confirm the shipper or broker |
| Contact details that differ from SAFER | Possible identity theft |
| Pressure to dispatch before checks | Leaves no time to verify |
Double brokering sits behind several of these. Someone takes a load from a real broker and passes it to you under their own paperwork. You haul it, they collect the payment, and the real broker has never heard of your company. A blind shipment is a normal practice on many real loads, so read that flag in context: the issue is a load where you cannot confirm who you are actually working for.
Protect your own identity
Fraud runs both ways. Criminals steal carrier identities too, using a real MC number to book loads they never intend to deliver. Your own record is part of your defense.
Keep your SAFER contact details current, so brokers who check get your real phone and email. Watch your FMCSA account for changes you did not make. FMCSA notes on its fraud alerts page (opens in a new tab) that it does not ask for payment or sensitive information through unsolicited email, and that official sites end in .gov.
Do not send your full carrier packet to anyone you have not verified. A W9, insurance certificate and authority letter are everything a thief needs to pose as you. At Powerhaul, carrier documents are encrypted when they are stored, and our security page explains how we handle them. When a broker calls to verify you, that is a good sign, not an inconvenience.
A two minute checklist
Run these checks on every new broker before you dispatch a truck. Once a broker passes and pays well, you can lighten up on repeat loads, but never skip the first one.
- Search the MC or USDOT number on SAFER and confirm active broker authority
- Confirm a bond or trust fund is on file and not cancelled
- Call the phone number SAFER lists and confirm the load and the contact
- Match the email domain on the rate con to the broker's real website
- Read the rate confirmation and the broker carrier agreement before signing
- Confirm the shipper and pickup details with the broker at the listed number, not a cell number from a text
If anything does not line up, turn the load down. There will be another load tomorrow. There may not be another truck if this one is stolen. For how payment disputes work when a real broker is slow, see getting paid.