Carrier vetting tool for freight brokers

What the tool checks

Red flags sit at the top of the result. A flag appears for broker authority with no carrier authority, authority that is not active, an inactive USDOT number, an out-of-service order, liability insurance on file below the amount FMCSA requires, and an Unsatisfactory safety rating. A Conditional rating or an MCS-150 marked out of date shows as “worth a look” instead.

• Authority: Active, Inactive, Broker only or None on record, with the types of authority that are active.
• FMCSA operating status: “Allowed to operate” only when the authority and the USDOT number are both active and no out-of-service order is on file. FMCSA’s data service defines its allowed-to-operate field as whether a carrier is allowed to operate by law, and notes that when it reads Y no out-of-service date is listed. In 475 FMCSA records tested in October 2026 it also read Y for inactive carriers, so the tool never reads that field alone.
• Insurance on file: the liability amount FMCSA lists, next to the amount it requires.
• Safety rating on file, out-of-service orders, the vehicle and driver out-of-service rates from inspections, power units, drivers, and the address on the record.

On SAFER, NOT AUTHORIZED means the USDOT number is active but the company holds no operating authority for interstate, for-hire carriage. The check shows that situation as authority Inactive or None on record, with a red flag at the top. What each status means is explained in Not Authorized or Inactive USDOT: what it means.

What no vetting tool can tell you

A record check answers one question: what does FMCSA have on file for this MC number today. It cannot tell you whether the person on the phone works for that carrier. The FBI reported in April 2026 that cargo thieves change a real carrier’s contact information with FMCSA and update its insurance information after taking over its accounts. The same alert warns that a familiar name or email address does not prove who sent a message.

The check shows no phone number or email address, because FMCSA’s data service does not provide them, so contact details must be confirmed another way. VetCarrier also cannot detect double brokering; what it is and how to spot it is covered in What is double brokering, and is it illegal?. The carrier vetting checklist lists the steps that happen outside the tool.

How to use it before you book

1. Ask the carrier for its MC number and its legal name in writing, before the rate confirmation.
2. Run the check above and read the red flags and the status line first.
3. Compare the legal name, DBA and address on the result with the carrier packet, the email signature and the rate confirmation. Stop and ask about any difference.
4. Call the carrier on a number you looked up yourself and confirm the dispatcher and the load. The FBI advises confirming pickups through a second channel before any load is released.
5. Save the PDF with the load. Federal rules require a broker to keep a record of each transaction, including the carrier’s name, address and registration number, for three years. The dated check can sit in that file next to it.

Where the data comes from

Every check is read from FMCSA’s QCMobile data service at the time you run it, or from a copy at most 10 minutes old, and the result says when the data was retrieved. Nothing is estimated: a field FMCSA leaves empty is shown as not listed. The same public record is free to read, one company at a time, on FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot, which can be searched by USDOT number, MC number or company name. VetCarrier adds the reading order, the red flags and the one-page PDF.