This article walks you through finding and verifying a carrier's coverage and credentials before assigning them to a load.
When to do this: Before assigning a high-value or specialized load (hazmat, food-grade, oversized, high-declared-value), and any time you're unsure whether a carrier is qualified for the work.
1. Open the carrier record
Find and open the carrier you need to review.
2. Confirm authority on the General tab
Scroll to the Authority section on the General tab. This shows three authority types:
Common — Common Authority status
Contract — Contract Authority status
Broker — Broker Authority status
What you need to see, by job type:
Carriers of property must show Active for both Common and Contract.
Brokers of property must show Active for Broker.
If the carrier doesn't have the required authority active, do not assign them. Escalate to your team if you believe the carrier should have authority that isn't reflected.
3. Review insurance on the Insurance tab
Click the Insurance tab. Each insurance policy is shown as a card with:
Policy type — typically Automobile liability, Commercial general liability, Motor truck cargo, Trailer interchange
Insurer name
Policy number
Expiration date
Coverage amount
Special flags (e.g., "Refrigeration breakdown included" on Motor truck cargo policies)
What to verify before assigning:
Expiration dates — every relevant policy must be current. Don't assign a load to a carrier whose insurance expires before the delivery date.
Coverage amounts — confirm Motor truck cargo coverage meets or exceeds the freight's declared value. If declared value is $100,000 and the carrier's cargo coverage is $50,000, you have an exposure gap.
Special coverage — for refrigerated loads, confirm "Refrigeration breakdown included" is set to Yes on the Motor truck cargo policy.
If insurance is expired or insufficient, do not assign. Insurance updates flow from Highway, MCP, RMIS — if you believe a policy should be current, see Syncing carrier data from Highway to refresh the record.
4. Review certifications on the Certifications tab
Click the Certifications tab. Certifications are special credentials a carrier holds (e.g., HAZMAT endorsement, TSA, food-grade certifications).
If the tab is empty, the carrier has no certifications on file. Some carriers don't need any — only assign loads requiring specific certifications to carriers who have them.
5. Decide whether to assign
Use this checklist before moving forward:
✅ Authority matches the work (Common+Contract for carriers, Broker for brokers)
✅ All relevant insurance policies are current
✅ Cargo coverage meets or exceeds declared value
✅ Required certifications for the load type are present
✅ Highway Assessment Result is Pass or Partial pass (see Understanding Highway assessment results)
✅ Status is Active (see Understanding carrier statuses)
If any check fails, do not assign. Either pick a different carrier or escalate to our team for an override.