We work with a lot of great Carriers in this business, but all of us who work with independent freight carriers can be susceptible to fraud if we're not diligent. This is a topic that gets, and deserves, a lot of attention. Fortunately, the tools available to us to combat fraud and keep our customers and fellow brokers safe have expanded substantially. There are some common practices to ensuring that you're dealing with a legitimate carrier:
- Look for related CSA authorities, as this may be an indicator of potential issues
- Analyze any lapses in authority carefully...repeated patterns can be a sign of trouble
- Carefully compare contact information with other information you have in your files, and with other information available on the internet
- Verify insurance policy details directly with the insurance carrier...don't accept it from the carrier alone
We firmly believe that the foundation to achieving all of the above in a reliable, consistent, and efficient manner is to invest in technology and automate your processes. Without technology and inline carrier verification automation built into your process, you don't stand a decent chance of staying ahead of the fraudsters, and protecting your business or your customers' business. To learn more about the options available to you, contact us or us the great resources at TIA.
Keep on trucking!