Verify identity before anything else
Any company moving your freight should be able to state its legal name, operating identifiers and insurance position, and let you check them independently. A carrier that treats verification as an inconvenience is telling you something.
- Legal business name and physical address
- USDOT and, where applicable, operating authority status you can look up
- Cargo and liability insurance details, with certificate available
- Provincial registration and safety standing
Match equipment to your freight, not to their fleet
The right question is not 'what do you have?' but 'what does this shipment need?'. Dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck and specialized equipment all carry different loading, securement and permitting implications.
Test communication before you have a problem
Most freight failures are communication failures. Ask how status updates are provided, who you reach outside business hours, and what happens when a delivery appointment is missed. The answer should be specific.
Freight fraud red flags in BC
Double-brokering and identity fraud are real and growing problems in the Canadian market. Watch for these signals.
- Pressure to book immediately with no paperwork
- Contact details that do not match the registered company
- Payment requested to a third-party or newly changed account
- Refusal to provide an insurance certificate
- Quotes far below every other carrier on the lane
Questions to ask on the first call
- Have you run this specific lane recently?
- What equipment would you assign and why?
- What is your process if the receiver cannot take delivery?
- How is detention handled and at what rate?
- Who is my point of contact once the load is dispatched?