The 60-second SAFER check
Every legitimate transport company has a USDOT number and an MC number registered with the FMCSA. Go to SAFER, search the company’s USDOT or name, and read two lines:
- Entity Type: “CARRIER” means they operate trucks. “BROKER” means they resell your shipment to carriers. Some show both — ask which authority your booking runs under.
- Power Units: how many trucks they actually own. A “nationwide carrier” showing 0 power units is a broker in a carrier costume.
Red flags that scream broker
- A deposit before a truck is assigned. Carriers schedule against their own dispatch; brokers collect deposits and then go shopping.
- A price that “needs adjusting” after booking. That was a teaser, not a quote.
- “We service all 50 states” with no equipment photos, no driver names, no lanes. Real carriers have specific corridors and real trucks to show.
- Quotes within minutes from five different companies after one form — your info was sold as a lead.
When brokers are fine, actually
Fairness matters: brokers serve a real function on lanes no single carrier covers, and good ones manage that honestly. If your route is far off any carrier’s corridor, a reputable broker may genuinely be your best option. The problem isn’t the model — it’s booking a broker believing it’s a carrier, paying a hidden margin, and holding a schedule nobody controls. Know which one you’re buying. On our corridors, you don’t need the middle layer at all.