What is a carrier packet?

Before a freight broker books a new carrier for the first time, they collect a set of documents called a carrier packet (also called a carrier setup packet). The packet establishes the legal, financial, and compliance foundation of the broker-carrier relationship. Understanding what each document is for — and what happens when one is missing — is essential operational knowledge for any freight broker or carrier.

Why brokers collect carrier packets

Three distinct requirements drive carrier packet collection:

• Compliance documentation. Brokers face negligent selection liability if they book carriers without verifying operating authority and insurance. The carrier packet provides documented due diligence.
• Payment processing. The W-9 and banking information are needed before the broker can pay the carrier by ACH or check. Without them, payment cannot be processed.
• Legal agreement. The signed broker-carrier agreement (BCA) establishes the contractual terms of the relationship — liability, cargo claims, double-brokering prohibitions, payment terms — before the first load moves.

Skipping the carrier packet and booking directly creates exposure on all three dimensions. For the full carrier vetting framework, see how to vet a carrier and the carrier vetting checklist.

Standard contents of a carrier packet

1. Carrier setup form

The carrier setup form is the broker's own onboarding questionnaire — typically one page, sometimes integrated into the BCA. It collects:

• Legal company name and DBA (if any)
• Physical address and mailing address
• MC number and USDOT number
• EIN (Employer Identification Number) or SSN for sole proprietors
• Primary business contact: name, phone, email
• Dispatcher contact: name, phone, email
• Accounts receivable contact for invoice inquiries
• Payment method preference: ACH (bank routing and account number) or check
• Remittance email address for invoice and payment notifications

The setup form is the broker's internal record. It is not submitted to any government agency — it lives in the broker's TMS or carrier management system.

2. W-9 (IRS Request for Taxpayer Identification)

The W-9 form collects the carrier's legal name, business entity type (LLC, Corporation, Partnership, Sole Proprietor), and federal tax identification number (EIN or SSN). Brokers are required by IRS rules to issue a 1099-NEC to any carrier to whom they paid $600 or more in a calendar year. Without a W-9 on file, the broker must withhold backup withholding taxes from payments — a complication both parties want to avoid.

The W-9 is a federal IRS form and must be kept on file for the period required for tax record retention. Many brokers store signed W-9s in their TMS or a secure document management system.

3. Certificate of Insurance (COI)

The COI is a one-page summary issued by the carrier's insurance provider that shows the policy types in force, coverage limits, policy numbers, and expiration dates. Brokers collect COIs to verify:

• Auto liability (BIPD) meets the minimum requirement — typically $1,000,000 per occurrence for most shipper contracts, though federal minimum for general freight is $750,000.
• Cargo insurance meets the minimum requirement — $100,000 is common in broker-carrier agreements, though some shippers require more for high-value commodities.
• The broker is listed as a certificate holder (to receive notice if the policy is cancelled).
• Policy expiration dates are current — an expired policy renders the COI worthless.

FMCSA SAFER shows whether insurance is on file, but does not show the policy limits. The COI is the document that confirms limits meet contract requirements. For more on FMCSA insurance verification, see FMCSA carrier lookup and MC number lookup.

4. Copy of MC operating authority

Some brokers request a copy of the carrier's MC operating authority certificate as issued by FMCSA. In practice, this is less commonly collected today because the authority status can be verified directly and in real time via the FMCSA SAFER system and L&I database. However, it is still standard in many broker packet templates.

5. BOC-3 confirmation

BOC-3 is the carrier's designation of process agents — the form filed with FMCSA that designates agents in every state authorized to receive legal process on the carrier's behalf. It is a prerequisite for operating authority. Brokers verify BOC-3 filing either via the FMCSA SAFER record or by requesting a copy of the BOC-3 filing acknowledgment.

6. Signed broker-carrier agreement (BCA)

The BCA is the master contract governing the broker-carrier relationship across all loads. A properly written BCA covers:

• Load acceptance, communication, and documentation standards.
• Carrier compliance obligations (maintaining active MC authority and insurance, reporting status changes).
• Double brokering prohibition — explicit language that the carrier may not re-tender any load accepted from this broker without written consent.
• Cargo claims procedure: time to file, documentation required, liability limits.
• Payment terms: standard pay timeline and quick pay terms if offered.
• Indemnification: which party indemnifies the other for claims arising from their respective acts.
• Governing law and dispute resolution venue.

The BCA is signed once per broker-carrier pair. Each subsequent load is governed by a load-specific rate confirmation that incorporates the BCA by reference. For more on how rate confirmations work, see what is a rate confirmation.

How brokers traditionally collect carrier packets

The traditional workflow for carrier packet collection is:

• Broker contacts a new carrier (typically responding to an email inquiry on a load).
• Broker sends a carrier packet request via email — either a set of blank forms as PDF attachments or a link to a carrier portal.
• Carrier fills in the setup form, signs the BCA (via DocuSign or wet signature), attaches their W-9, COI, and other documents, and emails everything back.
• Broker reviews the documents, verifies the MC number and insurance against FMCSA records, and loads the carrier into the TMS.

This process typically takes 24–72 hours. In practice, it is a significant operational bottleneck — especially when a broker needs to book a load the same day a new carrier first contacts them. The carrier packet requirement means new carriers often miss out on their first load with a broker because the packet is not returned in time.

Platforms like MyCarrierPortal and Highway have addressed this with digital carrier portals where carriers complete the packet in a structured online form, receive DocuSign on the BCA, and return everything to the broker in one workflow. Completion times under one hour are achievable when carriers are responsive.

What is changing in 2026: FMCSA API automation

Several components of the traditional carrier packet are being automated out of the collection workflow as FMCSA data becomes more accessible via API:

What is now automated via FMCSA API

• Operating authority status (Active, Revoked, Suspended) — real-time via FMCSA SAFER web services API.
• USDOT number status — real-time via SAFER API.
• Safety rating — pulled via SAFER API.
• BASIC scores — pulled via FMCSA SMS API.
• BOC-3 status — confirmable via SAFER and L&I database API.
• Insurance on file status — confirmable via FMCSA L&I API (not full policy limits — just whether something is on file and current).

Platforms like Highway and Keelway use these APIs to run carrier verification at the email triage stage — before a carrier packet request is even sent. The regulatory verification components of the traditional packet are effectively completed automatically.

What still requires manual collection

• W-9: The IRS W-9 has no federal API equivalent for third-party retrieval. Must be collected directly from the carrier.
• COI with coverage limits: FMCSA confirms insurance is on file but does not expose full policy limit data via API. The COI document must still be collected to verify limits meet contract requirements.
• Signed BCA: A legal agreement that requires carrier signature. Cannot be automated out of the process.
• Bank/payment details: ACH routing and account numbers are not available via any external API and must be collected directly.

The practical result: in 2026, the carrier packet is shrinking from six documents to three (W-9, COI, signed BCA) for brokers using modern vetting tools. The regulatory verification components are pulled live from FMCSA rather than collected from the carrier.

Carrier packet and the double brokering risk

The BCA double-brokering prohibition language in the carrier packet is one of the primary legal tools brokers have to address double-brokering risk. A carrier that signs a BCA with explicit anti-double-brokering language and then re-tenders a load is in breach of contract, creating a cleaner legal path for the broker to recover damages.

That said, a signed prohibition does not prevent double brokering — it only creates legal recourse after the fact. Detection signals at booking time and during load execution remain the primary defense. See what is double brokering and how to prevent double brokering.

For more on the overall carrier vetting and selection workflow, see how Keelway's carrier trust score works and carrier email automation. At $799/mo flat, book a demo to see it running on your inbox.