Verify the identity.
Protect the freight.
Practical, source-based tools for shippers and brokers to vet carriers, recognize fraud patterns, document decisions and respond when something does not add up.
Check removed CDL training providers.
FMCSA maintains the official searchable and downloadable record of providers removed from its Training Provider Registry. Use the provider name, location and removal date when reviewing a driver’s entry-level training record.
Important: FMCSA guidance says training conducted after a provider’s removal date is invalid. A provider’s appearance on the list does not, by itself, establish that training completed earlier is invalid or that every removal involved proven fraud.
Review the official removed-provider list Read FMCSA provider guidanceLearn the FIR review workflow step by step.
Follow the guided demonstration to verify carrier identity, authority, insurance, operations and payment information; interpret the risk signal; document the decision; and use the Center’s Major Concerns, Regulation and Active Alerts resources.
Turn scattered checks into a defensible decision.
The FIR review organizes evidence. It does not certify a carrier or replace your company’s compliance, legal, insurance or security procedures.
Red flags rarely travel alone.
Look for clusters and contradictions. Pause the transaction, preserve the evidence and verify through a trusted channel.
The public record and the person do not match.
Watch for: A new or free email domain, a phone number that differs from SAFER, an unexplained address, a recently changed contact or reluctance to accept a callback.
Verify: Compare the legal name, DBA, USDOT/MC numbers, address and phone across SAFER, the W-9, insurance certificate, agreement and rate confirmation.
Act: Pause onboarding or release. Call the company using a number obtained independently from the official record.
Speed is being used to defeat process.
Watch for: “The truck is waiting,” “the load must move now,” last-minute driver substitutions, after-hours requests or pressure to bypass normal onboarding.
Verify: Reconfirm the request with an established company contact and require the same documents and approvals used for a normal transaction.
Act: Stop the clock. A legitimate counterparty should allow reasonable time for identity, authority and pickup verification.
Payment instructions suddenly change.
Watch for: A new bank or factoring account, a payee that differs from the contracted entity, early-payment pressure or requests involving cryptocurrency, gift cards or an unrelated third party.
Verify: Call known contacts at the carrier or broker and financial institution using previously validated numbers. Compare the payee with contracts, invoices and tax records.
Act: Freeze the change until dual approval and out-of-band verification are complete. Notify the bank immediately if funds may have been diverted.
The load story does not hold together.
Watch for: Equipment that does not fit the commodity, a driver who cannot name the dispatcher, implausible geography, a rate far outside the lane or an unexpected destination change.
Verify: Reconcile dispatcher, driver, tractor, trailer, pickup number, route, commodity and destination before freight is released.
Act: Hold the load and escalate any substitution or routing change through a known company contact and your incident procedure.
What changed—and why it matters.
Reviewed every Monday. FIR prioritizes primary government releases, final rules, enforcement actions and high-impact threat advisories. New articles are added when a verified development materially affects transportation and logistics operations. Last reviewed October 5, 2026.
Fake Motus portals are targeting registration credentials
FMCSA warns that messages promoting an off-cycle update through a fake “New MOTUS Portal” use bogus domains designed to capture credentials and business information.
Do not use the message link. Navigate independently to FMCSA’s official website, verify the address, require a second reviewer for record changes, and reverify carrier identity before releasing freight after a suspected compromise.
Cyber-enabled strategic cargo theft is surging
The FBI warns that criminals are compromising broker and carrier accounts, posting fake loads, altering records and redirecting freight using manipulated documents and unauthorized transloads.
Use multi-channel verification before release. Document drivers and equipment, and independently confirm destination changes.
FMCSA expands broker financial-responsibility guidance
Updated guidance addresses trustee eligibility, replacement filings and authority suspension.
Official guidanceScammers are planting false Clearinghouse violations
Confirmed: FMCSA warns that fraudulent Substance Abuse Professionals and purported employers are collecting drivers’ CDL or CLP number, date of birth and name, then entering false drug-and-alcohol violations unless the driver pays.
For shippers and brokers, an unexpected driver-status problem may reflect identity abuse rather than a legitimate violation—but it must never be ignored. Require the carrier to verify the record directly through the official Clearinghouse process; do not accept payment demands, screenshots or assurances from an unverified intermediary. Preserve messages and report suspected fraud to FMCSA.
Federal agencies launch a multi-state trucking-fraud task force
USDOT, DHS, DOJ and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud announced Joint Task Force Crossroads of America. The initiative includes FMCSA’s emergency removal of more than 110 training providers associated with over 5,000 drivers who failed English-language-proficiency tests, a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers, and HSI activity at more than 200 driving schools across 23 states.
Where driver-qualification risk is material, verify training-provider and completion-date records through FMCSA’s official registry and preserve the evidence used. The initiative does not certify or disqualify an individual carrier by itself, and it should not be represented as a cargo-theft finding.
Different seat. Different exposure.
Use the playbook that matches where you control identity, custody and payment.
Protect the handoff point.
- Define approved carriers, lanes and exception authority before tender.
- Match carrier, driver, tractor, trailer and pickup details before release.
- Hold unexpected substitutions and call a known company number.
- Treat delivery or destination changes as a new verification event.
Protect identity, custody and payment.
- Validate identity, authority, insurance and payment records independently.
- Confirm the accepting carrier will physically haul the load.
- Reconcile dispatcher, driver, equipment and pickup details.
- Freeze and re-verify banking, factoring or payee changes.
Important: Public records may be delayed or incomplete. SAFER says Company Snapshot information is generally updated daily, while inspection and crash activity counts update weekly. An active record is a starting point—not proof that the person contacting you controls that identity.
Pause. Preserve. Report.
Follow your organization’s incident plan and contact appropriate authorities. Do not confront a suspected offender or put anyone in danger.
- 1Stop the transaction
Hold pickup, delivery changes, account changes and payment where lawful and possible.
- 2Preserve evidence
Save messages, headers, documents, URLs, timestamps, payment details and access logs.
- 3Use known channels
Contact the real carrier or broker, bank, insurer, security team and law enforcement using independently verified information.
Informational-use disclaimer
The FIR Fraud Prevention Center, carrier-review tool, articles, alerts, links and tutorial are provided for general educational and informational purposes only. They do not constitute legal, regulatory, compliance, safety, insurance, financial, cybersecurity or other professional advice, and they do not certify, approve or guarantee any carrier, broker, owner-operator, transaction or load. Public records and threat information may be delayed, incomplete or subject to change. Users remain responsible for independent verification, due diligence, contractual requirements and compliance with applicable laws and their own policies. Consult qualified legal counsel and other appropriate professionals regarding specific circumstances. Freight Intel Report does not assume responsibility for decisions made or actions taken in reliance on this information, to the fullest extent permitted by law.