Stop a fake carrier before it takes the load.
In a fictitious pickup, a thief poses as a real carrier and a shipper hands over the load. US and Canadian cargo theft cost an estimated $725 million in 2025 across 2,646 confirmed thefts, an average of $273,990 each. In the second quarter of 2026 alone, fake carriers took 158 loads.
For: Shippers, brokers and 3PLs that tender full truckloads, especially of medicines, electronics, food and metals. Sources: Verisk CargoNet, 2025 analysis; Verisk CargoNet, Q2 2026.
What to do
Law a legal requirement, with its source. Good practice recommended by the regulator or industry, not required.
Before you tender
- Good practice Look the carrier up on FMCSA's SAFER system by USDOT number. If the phone number you were given differs from SAFER, call the SAFER number. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice Confirm the operating authority is active and the insurance on file, then call the insurer. FMCSA warns that insurance certificates can be fraudulent. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice Screen for red flags: newly granted authority, a recently changed phone, email domain or address, addresses that disagree between sources, a rate far above market, or pressure for quick pay. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Law Know what changed: FMCSA's new registration system, Motus, verifies the identity of new applicants. MC numbers have not been eliminated; the USDOT number stays the identifier. FMCSA, Motus
- Law Check the broker as well. Since 16 January 2026, FMCSA can suspend a broker whose $75,000 financial security falls short and is not restored within 7 calendar days. Land Line, broker rule
- Good practice Send rate confirmations only to contacts you verified on SAFER, and set your own minimum authority age as written policy. FMCSA fraud guidance
At the dock
- Good practice Get the driver's name, tractor and trailer plates and truck number before arrival, by calling the carrier's number of record rather than one from an email. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice At the gate, match the driver's licence to the dispatch details and the USDOT number on the cab to the contracted carrier. Record the plates and photograph the truck and trailer. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice Treat a late change by email, such as a new driver, truck or time, as suspect. Re-verify by phone on the SAFER number. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice If anything does not match, do not release the load. Hold it, call the carrier on its SAFER number and escalate. FMCSA fraud guidance
- Good practice Apply your own seal, write the seal number on the bill of lading and photograph it.
If a load is stolen
- Good practice Report it to police where the cargo was taken, with vehicle identifiers so they can enter it in the national crime database, then call CargoNet and your insurer. Travelers, cargo theft reporting
- Law Controlled substances: notify the local DEA Diversion field office in writing within one business day of discovering the theft, and file DEA Form 106. For losses in transit, the supplier reports. DEA theft and loss FAQ
- Law Prescription drugs: FDA treats stolen product as illegitimate under DSCSA. File Form FDA 3911 and notify your immediate trading partners within 24 hours of that determination. FDA, notify FDA of illegitimate products
One-page checklist
- USDOT number checked on SAFER; phone matches
- Authority active; insurance confirmed by phone with the insurer
- Authority age and recent contact changes reviewed
- Addresses agree across sources
- Broker's financial security not in suspension
- Rate within market; no blind-load or quick-pay pressure
- Driver, licence, plates and truck number got from the number of record
- At the gate: licence matches dispatch
- At the gate: USDOT marking matches the carrier
- Plates recorded; truck and trailer photographed
- Seal applied, written on the bill of lading, photographed
- Any emailed change re-verified by phone
- Mismatch means hold the load and escalate
- Theft playbook posted, with the DEA one-business-day and FDA 24-hour clocks
Who to contact
- Local police · where the cargo was taken
- CargoNet · 1-888-595-2638
- Your cargo insurer
- FMCSA · 1-800-832-5660 · nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov
- DOT Inspector General hotline · 800-424-9071 · oig.dot.gov
- FBI internet crime · ic3.gov
- DEA Diversion field office · Form 106 · deadiversion.usdoj.gov
- FDA, Form 3911 · [email protected] · fda.gov
Where Aeroz fits
Every handoff in Aeroz is signed by the receiving partner with its own key, so a pickup by anyone other than the contracted carrier shows up as an unsigned handoff on the exceptions board.
Take it with you
The PDF has the full guide and the one-page checklist to print and post by the dock or in the quality office.
A practical guide, not legal advice. Checked 14 Oct 2026; each step links to its source.
From the Aeroz blog
- The Supply Chain Is Being Rebuilt. The Counterfeits Are Keeping Up.
- Cross-Industry Smuggling and the Aeroz Thesis: What a $3.7M
More answers: What Aeroz is and is not, in the compliance FAQ
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