Carrier Vetting Tech is Now Critical Risk Management for Brokers

Key Details The Supreme Court's Montgomery v. Caribe Transport decision eliminated the FAAAA preemption shield that previously protected brokers from negligent carrier selection lawsuits. The 9-0 ruling means brokers can now face liability for how they choose carriers, making carrier vetting a legal necessity rather than a business preference. Why It Matters Every carrier selection decision you make is now potential evidence in a lawsuit. Your process, the data you reviewed, and whether you followed your own criteria will all be discoverable and presented to a jury. Without documented procedures and technology backing your decisions, you're vulnerable to claims that you failed to exercise ordinary care. What You Need to Do Invest in carrier vetting technology immediately. Public data sources like SAFER (authority status and safety ratings), SMS (BASIC scores and crash history), and the Licensing and Insurance system are available to everyone. The difference is that documented use of these tools demonstrates due diligence to a court. Technology creates the audit trail proving you followed a consistent, reasonable evaluation process. The Bottom Line Carrier selection is no longer just about finding available equipment at competitive rates. It's now a compliance and risk management function. Building a defensible vetting process backed by technology isn't optional anymore - it's essential protection for your operation.