Free public lookups guides
What public carrier lookups show and what they miss.
Intermediate
Free Public Carrier Lookups: What They Show, What They Miss
Decoder ring for the free public carrier lookups every broker can reach — what each field means, what is missing, and how to read authority and inspection data without misinterpreting it.
VerificationData
11 min readBeginner
MC Number vs DOT Number: The Difference Explained
What each carrier identifier means, when carriers need one or both, and why brokers should reference both during verification.
IdentifiersBasics
6 min readIntermediate
What Is a SAFER Score? Broker's Guide to FMCSA Safety Data
The SAFER system explained — what the federal Safety and Fitness Electronic Records system actually returns, what 'safety rating' means versus BASIC scores, and how to read the numbers without misinterpreting them.
SafetySAFER
9 min readIntermediate
How to Read a Carrier's Roadside Inspection History
Roadside inspection records decoded for brokers — inspection levels, violation severity, OOS conditions, and how to read the inspection list as a near-real-time signal of carrier health.
SafetyInspections
11 min readIntermediate
How to Read a Carrier's Authority History (Identity-Flip Detection)
Authority history is the single strongest fraud-detection signal in the public record. This guide explains how to read the granted/revoked/reinstated timeline and how to spot the identity-flip pattern that drives modern double-brokering scams.
AuthorityFraud
10 min read