Quick answer
FreightBidder looks every carrier up against FMCSA records at signup and requires approval before it can bid. A clean record can be approved automatically; anything unclear goes to a person, and only people reject. It is a signup check, not continuous monitoring, and it does not confirm that insurance is current.
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How carrier verification works
Shippers ask whether the carriers bidding on their freight are real and authorized. This page describes exactly what we check, who makes the final call, and where the process stops, so you can decide how much further to check yourself.
What we check, in order
- 1
The USDOT number is checked for shape
Carriers enter a USDOT number, and an MC number if they haul interstate for hire. A USDOT number must be digits only. A value that is really an MC number, or has letters in it, is flagged for a person to correct rather than looked up, because looking up the wrong number would vet the wrong company.
- 2
FMCSA records are looked up
We read the carrier’s record from FMCSA’s public QCMobile service: legal name, operating authority status, safety rating, out-of-service rates, crash count and, when FMCSA reports it, the liability insurance on file. The legal name and registered state are compared with what the applicant entered.
- 3
An AI-assisted review scores the record
A model reviews those fields and recommends approve, approve with caution, manual review or reject. Only a clean “approve” is approved automatically. Every other outcome, including “reject”, goes to a person.
- 4
A person reviews everything unclear
Carriers that are not approved automatically wait in an admin review queue. Only people reject: no automated step can reject a carrier. A carrier cannot bid until it is approved.
- 5
Lane authority is enforced when bidding
When FMCSA classifies a carrier as intrastate-only, that carrier can bid only on loads that start and end in the same state. If the classification is unknown, nothing is blocked.
Brokers go through the same process, with their broker authority and bond in place of carrier insurance.
What verification does not cover
- Nothing re-verifies a carrier continuously. A carrier’s authority or insurance can change after it is approved.
- FMCSA’s public feeds often report no insurance figure for carriers whose coverage is current. A missing figure is therefore treated as missing data, not as proof of no insurance, and it also means we cannot confirm that a carrier’s insurance is current.
- FMCSA has been moving its registration system to Motus, and the public service we read can lag it. An authority status that looks wrong in our check can be out of date; the SAFER website and Motus are the places to confirm.
- Verification lowers risk. It is not a guarantee of a carrier’s performance, equipment or coverage, and FreightBidder is not a party to the freight contract between shipper and carrier.
You can look up any carrier yourself on FMCSA’s SAFER site before awarding a load.
Shippers and loads
The FMCSA lookup does not apply to shippers, so shipper accounts are screened another way. New accounts are checked at signup, a load that looks risky can be held for review before it is published, and any carrier can report a load. Screening lowers the odds of a bad load; it does not remove them.
Carrier verification — questions answered
Are carriers on FreightBidder verified?
Carriers are looked up against FMCSA records at signup and must be approved before they can bid. Clean records can be approved automatically; unclear ones go to a person. It is a signup check, not continuous monitoring.
Does FreightBidder verify carrier insurance?
Only as far as FMCSA reports it. When FMCSA shows liability insurance on file we use the figure; when it does not, we treat that as missing data rather than a finding. We do not hold or check insurance certificates, so confirm coverage yourself before tendering high-value freight.
Can a carrier be rejected automatically?
No. Automated checks can only approve a carrier or send it to a person. Only people reject.
What happens if FMCSA has no data for a carrier?
A well-formed USDOT number with no FMCSA record leaves the carrier’s identity unestablished, so it goes to manual review. A malformed number is flagged for correction instead.
Are shippers verified the same way?
No. The FMCSA lookup applies to carriers and brokers. Shippers are screened differently: new accounts are checked at signup, a shipper’s first posted load can be held for review when it looks risky, and carriers can report a load.
How do I report a problem with a carrier or a load?
Use the report option on a load, or contact us through the contact page with the company name and USDOT number so we can review it.
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