How FMCSA authority and insurance records actually work, and what they do and do not tell you before you tender a load. Figures come from our own reading of the FMCSA files.
- Active authority does not mean insured
FMCSA takes a median of 17 days to suspend a carrier after its insurance is cancelled. For that whole window the public record still reads Active.
- Vetting carriers with a spreadsheet — what it catches and what it misses
Most small brokerages run a script into Excel rather than paying for a tool. It works, up to a point. Here is precisely where that point is.
- Looking for a Carrier411 alternative
An honest comparison of the carrier-monitoring options, including where each one is genuinely stronger than us and where the free approach is good enough.
- FMCSA insurance filings explained — BMC-91X, BMC-84, BMC-34 and the rest
What each form code on a carrier's record actually means, and which ones satisfy the federal requirement. Coverage amounts verified against 95,806 live filings.
- How to check whether a carrier is legitimate before you tender
A checklist that survives contact with the actual FMCSA records, including the three places the public data will mislead you.
- How to spot a double-brokered load before it moves
The signals that show up in public records, the ones that only show up in the conversation, and why the FMCSA file alone cannot settle it.
- MC number vs USDOT number — what each one actually tells you
They are different registrations answering different questions, and only one of them is tied to operating authority. Confusing them is how uninsured carriers pass a check.
- What happens when a carrier's insurance is cancelled
The sequence FMCSA actually follows, how long each step takes, and the specific window where the public record says one thing and reality says another.
- What insurance limits to require from a carrier, and why $750,000 is not enough
The federal minimum was set in 1980 and has never been raised. Here is what carriers actually carry, and where the gap between the floor and a real claim sits.