One bad carrier can derail your day, or even worse: your entire logistics operation.
Freight fraud is everywhere these days - and if you’re shipping cargo, you're a target. Booking a load without doing your carrier vetting homework can lead to missed pickups, lost cargo, and a nightmare of emails explaining what went wrong.
Some red flags are easy to spot. Others? Not so much. They're buried in FMCSA records, DOT safety inspection reports, inconsistent contact details, or a too-smooth voice on the other end of the line.
Carrier Assure logistics resources and articles are built around the real issues you face daily in your operations. Here are five warning signs to watch out for in trucking companies —and what they might really mean.
1. Suspicious Authority Patterns
You get a call from a new carrier with a decent rate. You investigate their MC number, and find out about recent authority, zero operating history, or a weird string of revocations and reinstatements. Sound familiar?
It’s a classic move. Some trucking companies shut down after bad safety reporst, fraud investigations, or insurance issues—and resurface under a new MC to wipe the slate clean.
According to the FMCSA, over 10,000 motor carriers apply for new authority each month, and a concerning portion of these are linked to previously revoked entities, often referred to as “chameleon carriers.” (FMCSA Chameleon Carrier Report)
If the carrier authority's history just popped up last week with no explanation, it's worth slowing down and asking questions. If it feels like a “too clean” start, it might be covering up a messy past.
2. Look Out For Vague Company Info
This one’s sneaky. You Google the company, maybe they have a website, maybe they don’t. Their phone number area code doesn’t match their listed address. Or worse, their address turns out to be a virtual mailbox or gas station.
In many double-brokering scams, contact info is intentionally misleading. According to a 2023 DAT report, over 70% of reported fraudulent carrier cases involved some form of mismatched business information.
Legit carriers are usually proud to tell you who they are and where they operate over the road. If you're getting vague emails, or disconnected numbers, it’s time to dig deeper.
3. Unrealistic Equipment or Lane Claims
A carrier with a single truck says they’ve got reefers, flatbeds, and dry vans ready to go across five states. You ask follow-up questions and the owner operator dodges them, or say, “Yeah, we can make that work.”
When a carrier seems too flexible or overpromises without proof, it’s usually because they’re brokering it out, or they’re not real. Logistics brokers often run into this when a small operation tries to pose as a major trucking company.
If their profile says one thing but their mouth says another, believe the data.
4. Pressure to Book Fast (With No Answers)
You ask for details and they say they’ll “send it over.” But they really need that rate con "ASAP."
We get it. You’re slammed. You’ve got five more cargo loads to cover before lunch. But urgency with no transparency is a classic pressure tactic. It’s also a top freight fraud trigger. When a carrier is rushing you but won’t answer simple questions, they’re hoping you don’t have time to look closer.
Don’t fall for it. Trust earned fast is often trust broken faster.
5. Something Just Feels Off
Sometimes your gut is the first red flag. Maybe their tone doesn’t match the professionalism you’re used to. Maybe their email looks off. Maybe it’s just... weird.
You’ve been in the game long enough to know when something’s fishy. And more often than not, your gut is right.
So when you’re unsure? Take the extra 60 seconds and look them up properly on a carrier vetting software platform (i.e. check their Carrier Assure Report). Or ask your colleagues, they would know.
Don’t Just Vet the Carrier, Please Verify
Red flags don’t always mean fraud, but they do mean you should pause and investigate.
That’s why we built Advanced Search inside the Carrier Assure software platform. It’s a faster, smarter way to:
- Search carriers by authority age, lane history, equipment, and score
- Run checks with just a phone number, email, license plate, or VIN
- Spot inconsistencies across FMCSA / DOT safety inspection data, fleet size, and more
At Carrier Assure, we're working with logistics brokers across the industry to help them face these daily challenges with more confidence and less chaos.
Our software tools are built for the realities of freight. If you’ve been burned before or just want a better way to vet carriers, give Carrier Assure a try. We promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Want to see Advanced Search in action? Ask us for a quick demo and see how it can change the way you work.
