Stop freight fraud before the load leaves the dock.

[ 01 / The threat ]

The freight fraud playbook: paper first, load second.

The fastest growing loss in freight never involves forcing entry. The groundwork is done on paper, often weeks before a truck shows up. A ring registers a carrier or hijacks the identity of a real one that has gone dormant, builds just enough of a record to pass a quick glance, and bids on your loads through the same load boards legitimate carriers use. By the time the driver arrives, the theft is already most of the way done.

• Carrier identity theft: a real carrier’s authority hijacked or impersonated to look legitimate on paper
• Fictitious pickups: a load handed over willingly at the dock to a carrier that is not who the shipper thinks it is
• Deceptive pickups: correct-looking paperwork and a real driver masking a company that was never verified
• Double brokering: a booked load quietly re-tendered to an unvetted third party, severing insurance and liability
• Strategic theft: authority obtained or reactivated specifically to take a load and disappear before the chain is traced

[ 02 / Why it beats traditional security ]

Carrier fraud walks in the front door.

Locks, seals, and yard cameras assume the threat is an outsider forcing entry. Carrier fraud arrives with a valid appointment. Tracking hardware on the trailer does not help either, because the load is handed over willingly and the device usually goes with it. The single point every one of these schemes depends on is the same: a broker or shipper trusting a carrier they never actually checked.

• Yard cameras and seals never see a pickup that is authorized on paper
• Trailer trackers move with the load once it is handed over willingly
• A clean rate confirmation and a real MC number can mask a throwaway entity
• Operating authority under 180 days old or recently reactivated is the most common trait of disposable carriers
• The one assumption carrier fraud exploits is unverified authority, and it is removable

[ 03 / The prevention program ]

Freight fraud prevention is verification before tender, not investigation after.

Preventing freight fraud is disciplined checking done before the load moves. The steps are unglamorous and they work. Confirm the carrier is who they claim, cross-check the paper against the source, and refuse to release freight on trust alone. Done on every load, this removes the one thing the fraud depends on. This is the vetting discipline we run.

OpSec Intel driver and carrier vetting is the service that carries it out on every carrier and every driver.

• Verify operating authority and insurance on FMCSA before you tender
• Cross-check the FMCSA record against the Secretary of State business filing for name and address mismatches
• Treat authority under 180 days old or recently reactivated from dormancy as a slow-down signal, not a disqualifier alone
• Call the carrier on the phone number listed with FMCSA, and never trust an incoming call
• Require a signed rate confirmation and screen the bill of lading for re-tender language
• Any carrier or driver vetted in under 10 minutes, fast enough to run on every load

[ 04 / Liability and the record ]

A documented program answers negligent-selection liability.

When a shipper or broker tenders a load without exercising reasonable care to confirm the carrier is legitimate, they expose themselves to negligent-selection claims if that load is lost or causes harm. A documented, consistent freight fraud prevention program is the record that shows reasonable care was taken. After a loss, it is the difference between having verified the carrier and merely having assumed. The stakes are rising: Verisk CargoNet estimates US cargo theft losses reached roughly $725 million in 2025, with strategic theft leading the increase.

• Every carrier checked against FMCSA the same way, on every load
• Every rate confirmation and tender backed by a paper trail that holds up to an insurer or a court
• A defensible record when carrier selection is questioned after a loss
• If freight still goes missing, former law-enforcement investigators lead the recovery

[ FAQ ]

Questions, answered.

What is freight fraud?

Freight fraud is a family of schemes that steal a load through paper rather than force. It includes carrier identity theft, fictitious pickups, deceptive pickups, double brokering, and strategic theft. In each case a criminal presents legitimate-looking operating authority, insurance, and paperwork, then takes a load the shipper or broker never actually verified. The freight is handed over with permission, which is what makes it harder to see than a break-in.

How is freight fraud prevention different from carrier vetting?

Carrier vetting is the verification step that clears a specific carrier or driver before you tender. Freight fraud prevention is the wider program that decides which threats you are defending against, sets the checks that apply to every load, and keeps the documented record that answers liability after a loss. Vetting is the service that carries the program out. On this site, driver and carrier vetting is that service, and it is what stops the fraud this page describes.

How do I stop a fictitious or deceptive pickup at the dock?

A fictitious pickup is prevented upstream of the dock, not at it. Before the load is assigned, confirm the carrier is who they claim and not a lookalike of a real one, verify operating authority and insurance on FMCSA, cross-check the FMCSA record against the Secretary of State filing, and call the carrier on the number listed with FMCSA rather than any number provided in the booking. At the dock, verify the driver and the document against the carrier that was actually booked. The pickup only succeeds if the carrier was never verified.

Why does double brokering create liability for the broker?

Double brokering re-tenders a booked load to an unvetted third party without authorization, which severs the chain of insurance and liability the transaction was built on. The cargo insurance on file does not cover a carrier the shipper never approved, so a lost or stolen load can leave the shipper paying twice. Because the loss and the negligent-selection exposure follow the authority that tendered the load, a documented vetting program on every carrier is the broker’s defense.

How fast can OpSec Intel vet a carrier or driver?

Any carrier or driver can be vetted in under 10 minutes when the process is built for it. That speed is what makes verifying every load realistic instead of aspirational, because the volume of freight fraud has grown faster than most teams can screen against by hand. Fast, consistent vetting is what keeps a prevention program running on every tender rather than only on the loads someone had time to check.

[ Related ]

Where this connects.

• Driver and carrier vetting, the service that stops the fraud →
• How fictitious pickups work at the loading dock →
• How to prevent double brokering →
• Cargo theft investigation and recovery →

[ Start here ]

Get a free security assessment.

1. 01

   Briefing call

   Your lanes, your losses. 30 minutes.

2. 02

   Coverage plan

   Written scope and SLA. No obligation.

3. 03

   Vetting begins

   Every carrier screened before tender.