Carrier Selection and Evaluation Checklist

Look up the carrier on SAFER by USDOT or MC number. Confirm operating status is Active, authority type matches the freight (Common, Contract, Broker), and the entity type is Carrier — not just Broker. Note the MCS-150 update date; anything older than 24 months is a red flag.

Verify MC authority is Active (not Inactive, Revoked, or Pending). Authority granted under 90 days requires extra scrutiny — many double-brokering and identity-theft schemes target carriers in the new-entrant window.

Pull the SMS report and check all seven BASICs: Unsafe Driving, HOS Compliance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazmat, Crash Indicator. Any BASIC above intervention threshold (65 for general, 60 for hazmat/passenger) needs sign-off from the safety director before approval.

A Conditional rating is workable with shipper approval; an Unsatisfactory rating disqualifies. Unrated (never audited) is common for newer carriers and is acceptable if CSA BASICs and insurance check out.

Review the past 24 months of recordable crashes and roadside inspections in SMS. Watch for clustered OOS violations (brakes, tires, HOS) and any DOT-reportable crashes with injuries or tow-aways. Inspection volume below 5 per power unit suggests under-reported activity or a new operation.

Request the COI directly from the carrier's insurance agent, not the carrier — agent-issued COIs are harder to forge. Confirm policy effective and expiration dates cover the expected hauling window.

Confirm at least $1M auto liability per Part 387 (more for hazmat, up to $5M). Cargo coverage of $100K is the typical contract minimum; many shippers require $250K or product-specific limits. Reefer breakdown coverage is a separate endorsement — check it explicitly for temperature-controlled lanes.

Match trailer types (dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, tanker) and counts to the lanes you plan to tender. A carrier with three power units and one reefer cannot run a five-load-per-week reefer lane reliably.

Confirm power-unit and driver counts on MCS-150 match what the carrier sales rep claims. Note the operating radius — a regional Midwest carrier picking up a coast-to-coast load is a double-broker warning sign.

Pull 30-day average spot rates from DAT RateView or Truckstop for the carrier's primary lanes. Quotes more than 15% below market are the classic double-broker bait — flag for additional vetting, not for booking.

Confirm the FSC formula (DOE national diesel index, base price, cents per mile per nickel) and accessorial list — detention free time, layover, TONU, lumper, driver-assist. Vague accessorials become invoice disputes later.

Send the carrier packet — broker-carrier agreement, W-9, COI request, payment instructions, no-double-broker clause. Most TMS platforms (McLeod, Aljex, Tailwind, AscendTMS) drive this via DocuSign or built-in e-sign.

Match the W-9 legal name and EIN to the FMCSA carrier name. Mismatched payee names — especially factoring assignments that appear after onboarding — are the most common vector for payment fraud. Confirm the Notice of Assignment if a factor is involved.

Final sign-off by carrier sales lead. Set the tier (preferred, standard, restricted, do-not-use) in the TMS so dispatchers see it on every load tender. Restricted tier requires manager approval per load.