Plain-English guides to freight regulations
Know Your Rights
The law that actually governs your loads, what you are owed, what to do when a broker doesn’t pay, and how to protect your authority. We break it into three places: your rights as a carrier, your obligations as a broker, and the compliance basics everyone in trucking needs to get right.
General information, not legal advice. These guides explain U.S. freight and trucking rules in plain English, educational only, not a substitute for a qualified attorney. Rules and figures change; confirm current requirements with FMCSA or the official source before acting on your specific situation.
01 · For Carriers
For Carriers
You did the work, this is how you make sure you get paid and keep your cargo liability in check. The most important one: when a broker won’t pay, you may be able to file a claim against their $75,000 bond, and we explain how that process generally works.
Open For Carriers →- Broker Didn't Pay? Claim the $75,000 BondStep-by-step: how to file a claim against a broker's BMC-84 surety bond, who to contact, what you need, and the deadlines.
- Double-Brokering ExplainedWhat it is, why it's illegal, the warning signs it's happening to you, and how to protect yourself and report it.
- Carmack Amendment & Cargo ClaimsWho pays for damaged or lost freight, how to file a cargo claim, and the 9-month / 2-year deadlines that matter.
- Rate Confirmation Is a ContractWhat you're really signing, the dangerous clauses on chargebacks, quick-pay, and non-payment to watch for.
- Detention & Accessorial PayWhat you're owed for detention, layover, TONU and lumper fees, and how to document and collect it.
- Carrier's Lien on FreightWhen you can legally hold cargo until you're paid, and the limits you must respect.
- Factoring: Recourse vs Non-RecourseHow factoring works, what a chargeback is, and how recourse bites you when the broker never pays.
- Collecting Unpaid Freight ChargesSuing the broker vs. the shipper, who actually owes you, and how to pursue the money.
- When a Broker Goes BankruptWhere you stand in line to get paid, and how the surety bond fits in.
- Truth-in-Leasing & Owner-Operator RightsWhat the lease must say, the chargebacks they can take, and getting your escrow back (49 CFR Part 376).
- Independent Contractor vs EmployeeMisclassification, the ABC test and AB5, and what calling a driver a 1099 contractor really risks.
- Cargo Theft & Fictitious PickupsStrategic theft and impostor carriers, the red flags, how to protect a load, and where insurance stands.
- The Bill of Lading, ExplainedReceipt, contract and title in one document, prepaid vs collect, straight vs order, and the traps.
- The Coercion Rule: You Can Say NoWhen a broker or dispatcher pressures you to break the rules, and how to report it (49 CFR 390.6).
- Cargo Insurance Gaps & ExclusionsWhat your cargo policy does not cover, reefer breakdown, theft, sub-limits, and the Carmack gap.
- Quick Pay vs Net-30What quick pay really costs as an annual rate, and when it is worth it.
02 · For Brokers
For Brokers
The rules that keep your authority alive and help you steer clear of disputes, your bond, what you must disclose to carriers, and the liability that comes with choosing who hauls the freight.
Open For Brokers →- The Mandatory $75,000 Surety BondBMC-84 / BMC-85 and the financial-responsibility rule (49 CFR 387.307), what you must carry and why.
- Broker Transparency Rule (49 CFR 371.3)A carrier's right to see the records of a transaction, what you have to disclose on request.
- Negligent Selection LiabilityWhen a broker gets sued for picking an unsafe carrier, and how to reduce your exposure.
- Broker vs Forwarder vs DispatcherThe legal differences, who needs authority, and why a dispatcher acting as a broker is a problem.
- Co-Brokering vs Double-BrokeringWhere legal co-brokering ends and illegal double-brokering begins.
- The Broker-Carrier AgreementThe master contract behind every load, indemnification, insurance, anti-double-broker and no-solicitation clauses.
- The New Broker Bond RulesAvailable financial security, faster suspension, and the BMC-85 trust changes every broker must know.
- Carrier Vetting & Freight-Fraud PreventionHow to verify a carrier, the red flags of a cloned identity, and the call-back that stops a theft.
- Broker Liability to the ShipperWhen a broker is, and is not, on the hook for cargo, breach and negligent selection.
- Withholding Payment & SetoffWhen a broker can deduct from a carrier’s pay, and the factoring trap that causes double payment.
- Contingent Cargo & Broker Liability InsuranceWhat it covers, why it is not the bond, and the vetting condition that can void it.
- Selling or Transferring a BrokerageAuthority transfer, entity vs asset deals, and the successor liability that follows the MC number.
03 · For Everyone
For Everyone
The authority, registration and compliance basics every carrier and broker has to handle, from getting your numbers right to surviving an audit.
Open For Everyone →- MC Number vs USDOT NumberWhat each one is, the difference between them, and who is required to have which.
- Types of Operating AuthorityMotor Carrier of Property, Broker, Freight Forwarder, which authority you actually need.
- New Entrant Safety AuditWhat happens in your first 12 months, what the auditor checks, and how to pass.
- MCS-150 Biennial UpdateThe update schedule, why it matters, and the penalties for missing it.
- Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)Who has to pay, how fees are set, and the annual deadline.
- IFTA & IRP BasicsHow fuel-tax and apportioned-plate reporting work, paired with our IFTA calculator.
- Insurance MinimumsThe $750k-$1M auto-liability rule, cargo coverage, and who must carry what.
- BOC-3 Process Agent FilingWhat a process agent is and why you can't get authority without a BOC-3 on file.
- Hours of Service & ELD BasicsThe legal side, what the rules require, and the penalties an audit can bring.
- Fixing FMCSA Errors with DataQsHow to challenge and correct a bad record that's dragging down your CSA score.
- CSA / SMS Scores ExplainedWhat the score is, how it affects you, and how to defend it.
- FMCSA Drug & Alcohol ClearinghouseRegistration, queries and what “prohibited” status means, the database that can downgrade a CDL (49 CFR Part 382).
- Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (Form 2290)The $550 federal truck tax, the deadlines, and the stamped Schedule 1 you need before you can plate.
- CDL & DOT Medical CertificationThe right CDL class, the DOT med card, self-certification, and what a lapse does to your license.
- Hauling Hazmat: Registration & EndorsementsThe H endorsement and TSA check, training, placarding and the higher insurance hazmat demands.
- Cargo Securement RulesTiedown counts, the 50% working-load-limit rule, and the inspections that keep a load legal (49 CFR Part 393).
- The Driver Qualification FileEvery document Part 391 says you must keep on a driver, and the gaps auditors and lawyers find.
- DOT Audits & InterventionsWarning letters, focused investigations, compliance reviews and safety ratings, how FMCSA escalates.
- Weight Limits, Permits & the Bridge FormulaThe 80,000-lb limit, the Bridge Formula, oversize/overweight permits and state weight-distance taxes.
- Intrastate vs Interstate AuthorityWhen an in-state haul is actually interstate commerce, and why it changes which rules apply.
- Chameleon Carriers & Reincarnated AuthorityWhat a chameleon carrier is, why a shut-down operation comes back under a new name, and the kinds of fraud it hides.
- Three Words Now Changing American Trucking: GenLogs, Motus & ARCHIThe three forces closing in on freight fraud - a federal chameleon-screening program, a rebuilt FMCSA registration system, and a private roadside-camera network - and what they mean for an honest carrier.
Check the other side before you sign
Knowing your rights is half the battle, the other half is knowing exactly who you’re dealing with. Look up any broker or carrier’s authority, bond and reviews, free.
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