Carrier Onboarding and Verification

Scope

All new carriers and any carrier whose contact details, insurance or authority status change.

Responsible

Carrier Sales Representative; Compliance Specialist

Version

1.0 · not yet reviewed by the academy

Procedure

1. Collect the carrier packet: W-9 (US) or business details (Canada), certificate of insurance sent from the insurance agent, signed broker–carrier agreement, and NOA if factored.
2. Look up the carrier's registration in the official government record (for US carriers, the FMCSA public record) and confirm the authority is active and matches the legal name and address.
3. Call the carrier using the phone number in the official record — not the number in the email — and confirm they are offering the load.
4. Verify the insurance certificate directly with the issuing agent; check limits, expiry date and that the broker is listed as certificate holder.
5. Check for red flags: newly issued authority, mismatched email domains, pressure for quick pay to a third party, refusal to take a call-back.
6. Record the decision (approve, escalate or reject) and the evidence in the carrier file.