How to Verify a Freight Broker (MC Number Check, Step by Step)

A practical checklist for shippers and carriers: confirm broker authority, the $75,000 bond, authority age, revocations and contact details before you tender or haul a load.

Updated October 21, 2026 · 7 min read

Most freight fraud starts the same way: someone uses a real company's name and MC number, or a brand-new authority, to take a load they never intend to pay for or deliver. Five minutes of checks prevents most of it. Here's the process we recommend for shippers and carriers.

1. Get the MC number in writing

Ask for the broker's MC (docket) number and USDOT number by email, on the rate confirmation, or both. Legitimate brokers share it immediately. If someone avoids the question or gives a number that doesn't match the company name, stop there.

2. Confirm active broker authority

Search the number on truckload.broker or FMCSA. You're looking for active property broker authority. A company can hold carrier authority without broker authority — and carrier-only companies are not allowed to broker your load to someone else. We only list companies whose broker authority is active, so if a "broker" isn't on our site, check FMCSA directly before doing business.

3. Check the $75,000 bond or trust fund

Every freight broker must keep at least $75,000 of financial security on file with FMCSA — either a BMC-84 surety bond or a BMC-85 trust fund. It's what carriers and shippers can claim against if a broker fails to pay. Each truckload.broker profile shows which form is on file, the surety or trustee, and since when. Learn more in BMC-84 vs BMC-85.

4. Look at authority age

Authority age is the time since the broker authority was first granted. Long-standing brokers have a track record; very new ones don't yet. That doesn't make a new broker bad, but it's a reason to verify more carefully. Our trust score gives full credit at 10+ years and flags authorities under one year old.

5. Review revocations and bond gaps

FMCSA revokes broker authority when required filings lapse — most often the bond or the process agent (BOC-3). One old revocation that was quickly fixed is common. Repeated or recent involuntary revocations, or gaps where no bond was on file, suggest financial or administrative trouble. We show both on every profile and in the red-flag box.

6. Verify contact details independently

Identity theft is the most common scam: a fraudster emails from a look-alike domain using a real broker's MC number. Protect yourself by:

Calling the phone number on the FMCSA record (shown on our profiles) — not the one in the email — and asking them to confirm the load.
Checking that the email domain matches the company's real website, letter for letter.
Being cautious with brokers who pressure you to move fast, change payment details, or ask you to pick up at a different address than the rate con.

Quick checklist

MC and USDOT numbers received in writing
Active property-broker authority
BMC-84 or BMC-85 on file
Authority age reviewed (extra care under 1 year)
No recent revocations or bond gaps
Phone confirmed using the FMCSA record

Check a broker now

Look up any MC or USDOT number to see authority, bond, revocations and red flags.

Check an MC number

Frequently asked questions

Is an MC number enough to prove a broker is legitimate?

No. An MC number only identifies a company. You still need to confirm it holds active broker authority (not just carrier authority), has a BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust fund on file, and that the person contacting you really works for that company.

What is the difference between broker authority and carrier authority?

Carrier authority lets a company haul freight with its own trucks. Broker authority lets a company arrange transportation for others. A company that only holds carrier authority is not allowed to broker loads to other carriers.

Are new brokers unsafe?

Not necessarily — every broker starts somewhere. But very new authorities are used disproportionately in fraud, so give new brokers extra checks: smaller first loads, references, and contact verification.

Where does truckload.broker get its data?

From FMCSA public records — both the legacy Licensing & Insurance datasets and the newer Motus datasets. Each profile shows the date the record was last checked.

Related guides

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always confirm a broker's status with FMCSA before doing business.