The useful record is not “carrier approved.” It is a dated explanation of which company was considered for which load, what the available sources showed, what questions were asked, and why the team proceeded or stopped. Make it readable by someone who did not work the load.
This is a recordkeeping workflow, not a legal standard or a promise that a file will defeat a claim. The Supreme Court’s Montgomery opinion allowed a negligent-hiring claim against a broker to proceed past a federal preemption defense; it did not prescribe a vetting checklist or decide the merits.
The one-page booking record
Capture these items before tender when they apply:
| Item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Shipment | Load reference, lane, commodity, trailer or special requirements, and planned pickup time |
| Carrier identity | Legal name, USDOT number, docket if applicable, and the contact you independently verified |
| Public status | Source URL, time checked, authority type and status, USDOT registration status, out-of-service status, and safety rating if shown |
| Insurance | Named insured, applicable coverage and dates, who confirmed it, and any load-specific exclusion question |
| Exceptions | A mismatch, missing field, carrier explanation, follow-up source, and the person who resolved it |
| Decision | Who approved or declined the carrier, when, and on what basis |
FMCSA’s Company Snapshot supplies public identity and safety information. Check the relevant authority and insurance records separately. A blank field is not a clean result, and a safety rating of “not rated” is not a positive rating.
Keep the evidence attached to the decision
Save a copy or export of the source results where your systems and agreements permit it. A screenshot can be useful, but label it with the source URL and capture time. A system-generated timestamp helps establish when your team recorded the information; it is not automatically tamper-proof or self-authenticating. Retain the original communication when a carrier or insurer answered a question.
If your process uses a third-party lookup, record its refresh time and the underlying source when available. FMCSA says SAFER snapshots update on a schedule, not continuously. The result you saw may differ from a later lookup, which is why a dated copy is useful.
Make exceptions visible
Do not replace a conflict with a green check. For example: “Packet name differs from FMCSA legal name; carrier supplied DBA documentation; insurer confirmed the policy names the legal entity; booking approved by [name] at [time].” A reviewer can follow that reasoning. “Verified” alone hides the actual decision.
The same rule applies to a decline. Save the reason and the source, without accusing the carrier of fraud when you have only an unresolved discrepancy.
Set a retention rule with counsel
Retention depends on contracts, insurer requirements, claims, privacy obligations, and applicable law. Ask counsel for a policy rather than assuming one national period. Limit access to sensitive documents and remove them according to that policy.
Use the carrier verification sequence for the checks that feed this record. Freight Radar HQ does not certify that any particular file is legally sufficient.