How we verify carriers

Anyone can call themselves an auto transport company. Not everyone can legally carry your vehicle across a state line, and a smaller number again carry enough cargo insurance to matter if something goes wrong. Verification is the part of a broker's job that is invisible when it is done properly, so this page sets out exactly what we check.

What we verify before dispatch

• Active operating authority. A valid FMCSA motor carrier authority for property, active on the day of dispatch — not on file from a previous booking. Authority can be revoked, and a carrier who was legitimate last year may not be this week.
• Active cargo insurance. A current certificate, with the limit confirmed in writing, and the policy checked as in force rather than merely issued at some point.
• Liability insurance at or above the federal minimum for the equipment being operated.
• Safety and inspection record. Out-of-service rates and inspection history, because a trailer pulled out of service mid-route becomes your problem as much as the carrier's.
• Equipment suitable for the actual load. A working winch for a non-runner, a lift gate for a low car, the right trailer class for an oversize machine.
• Relevant experience where the vehicle needs it, such as a lowered supercar, a pre-war classic or a machine that must be craned.

Why it is checked on the day, not once a year

Operating authority and insurance are both live statuses. A policy lapses for non-payment. Authority is revoked after a failure to maintain insurance. A carrier we used without incident three months ago may not be legally able to take your vehicle today, and nothing about the truck's appearance would tell you.

Checking at dispatch rather than at onboarding is the whole point. A carrier list that was verified once is a list of companies that were compliant once.

What you can check yourself

None of this requires taking our word for it, and we would rather you did not. Once we send you the assigned carrier's name and their USDOT or MC number, you can look them up directly:

• The FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot shows operating status, authority and inspection history for any carrier by USDOT or MC number.
• The FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance system shows current insurance filings, including cargo coverage.

If a broker will not give you the carrier's name and number before pickup, that is the moment to stop and ask why. We send it as a matter of course at dispatch.

What verification does not mean

We would rather be precise about the limits of this than let it sound like a guarantee:

• Verification confirms a carrier is legally authorized and insured. It is not a prediction that nothing will go wrong.
• We do not inspect trucks ourselves, and no broker does. We check records, filings and history.
• Cargo insurance is carried by the motor carrier, not by us. A claim is made against their policy. Insurance and claims explains how.
• A clean record is not a character reference. It is the minimum standard for being allowed near your vehicle.

Carriers we decline

A load that has sat unassigned creates pressure to lower the standard rather than raise the price. That is the moment most badly handled shipments are actually created, and it is the moment the standard matters. It is also why we price the way we do, which about Vector sets out in full. We will not dispatch a carrier with revoked or inactive authority, lapsed or inadequate cargo insurance, a poor out-of-service record, or equipment that does not match the load.

If that means telling you the lane needs more money or more time, we will tell you that instead.

Common questions