A load that pays well from a broker you have never heard of is either a good day or a very expensive one. Checking takes about ten minutes. Here is the order to do it in, what changed at FMCSA in 2026 that most older guides still miss, and how to stop booking with the same bad broker twice.
For years the standard advice was to look a broker up in FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance system (L&I). That advice is now out of date. FMCSA's own FAQ says that as of May 14, 2026, L&I is available only for reviewing historical records, and that filings made in the new Motus registration system are not reflected there (FMCSA: What can I do in L&I?).
Motus is FMCSA's new registration system. FMCSA lists "search for an entity's registration record" as something public users can do there (FMCSA: Move into Motus). So check the broker's current registration in Motus at motus.dot.gov, and use L&I only to look at a broker's history.
That matters for fraud. A broker whose authority changed after mid-May 2026 may look different in L&I than it really is today. If the two disagree, trust Motus and ask questions.
Search the broker in Motus by USDOT number or legal name. You are looking for active broker authority, not just a USDOT number. A company can have a USDOT number and still not be registered to arrange freight. If the name on the rate confirmation and the name on the FMCSA record don't match exactly, stop there until the broker explains why.
Federal rule 49 CFR 387.307(a) requires a broker to have a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund in effect, and FMCSA will not register a broker without one. The bond is what you can claim against if a broker goes under owing you money. A broker with no bond on file is not a broker you should haul for.
Double brokering and identity theft usually work the same way. Someone copies a real broker's name and MC number, then sends the load from a look-alike email address. The FMCSA record will look perfect because it belongs to the real company. So call the phone number listed in the FMCSA record and ask them to confirm the load and the person who sent it.
Compare the sender's domain to the broker's real website. Watch for an extra letter, a swapped letter, a different ending (.co instead of .com), or a free webmail address claiming to be a large brokerage.
The rate confirmation is your contract. Check the rate, the broker name and MC number, the pickup and delivery details, and the detention, TONU and payment terms. Vague facility details or a broker name that doesn't match the FMCSA record are reasons to slow down. Our guide to keeping track of rate confirmations covers how to file them so you can find one later.
FMCSA can tell you a broker is registered. It cannot tell you that this broker short-paid you last spring or took 70 days to pay. That information is in your own invoices and dispute notes, and most small fleets never pull it up at booking time.
When in doubt, call the shipper directly. Find the shipper's number yourself, not from the broker's paperwork, and confirm the pickup is real.
Active authority and a bond don't guarantee you'll be paid on time or in full. If a broker short-pays you, federal rule 49 CFR 371.3 requires brokers to keep a record of each transaction and gives each party the right to review it. Our step-by-step guide, Broker paid less than the rate confirmation?, walks through the dispute.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. FMCSA's registration systems changed in 2026 and are still being updated, so check the current FMCSA pages linked above before you rely on any lookup, and talk to a transportation attorney about a specific claim.
Step 6 is the one people skip, because the history is scattered across email threads and old invoices. ReadyTMS keeps it in one place with Broker Watch:
To be clear about what Broker Watch does not do: it does not look up brokers in FMCSA or Motus for you, and it does not include a credit score. Do steps 1 through 4 yourself. Broker Watch covers step 6 and reminds you every time that broker comes back.
ReadyTMS costs $149/month flat, no matter how many trucks you run. See AI rate confirmation software for how rate confirmations get into the system from email.
Use the public search in FMCSA's Motus registration system at motus.dot.gov. FMCSA says that since May 14, 2026 its older Licensing and Insurance (L&I) system shows historical records only, and filings made in Motus are not reflected there.
Federal rule 49 CFR 387.307(a) requires a broker to have a surety bond or trust fund of $75,000 in effect. FMCSA will not register a broker until that bond or trust fund is in place.
No. Active authority proves the company is registered, not that the person emailing you works there or that the broker pays on time. Call the phone number in the FMCSA record, check the email domain, and check your own payment history with that broker.
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