UnpaidLoadGuides
Plain-English guides for owner-operators and small fleets. Facts are cited to FMCSA regulations and official sources.
How to File a Freight Broker Bond Claim (BMC-84 / BMC-85), Step by Step
A plain step-by-step guide for carriers: confirm the broker's BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust, gather documents, send a demand, and file a claim with the surety.
A plain step-by-step guide for carriers: confirm the broker's BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust, gather documents, send a demand, and file a claim with the surety.
Broker Won't Pay? What Owner-Operators Can Do
Practical options when a freight broker won't pay your invoice: verify, document, demand, bond claim, FMCSA complaint, collections, and how to avoid the next one.
Practical options when a freight broker won't pay your invoice: verify, document, demand, bond claim, FMCSA complaint, collections, and how to avoid the next one.
BMC-84 vs BMC-85: Broker Surety Bond vs Trust Fund, Explained
What BMC-84 and BMC-85 mean, the $75,000 requirement from 49 CFR 387.307 and MAP-21, how claims differ, and what carriers should check.
What BMC-84 and BMC-85 mean, the $75,000 requirement from 49 CFR 387.307 and MAP-21, how claims differ, and what carriers should check.
How to Find a Freight Broker's Surety Company (and the Claims Contact)
Find which surety or trustee holds a broker's BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust using FMCSA L&I records, then get the surety's claims address.
Find which surety or trustee holds a broker's BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust using FMCSA L&I records, then get the surety's claims address.
How to Write a Demand Letter for an Unpaid Freight Invoice
What to put in a final demand letter to a freight broker: load facts, amount, deadline, payment instructions, and the bond-claim notice. Plus how to send it.
What to put in a final demand letter to a freight broker: load facts, amount, deadline, payment instructions, and the bond-claim notice. Plus how to send it.
How to Check a Freight Broker's MC Number, Authority, and Bond Before You Haul
A 5-minute check before you book: verify broker authority, BMC-84/85 bond, authority age, and contact info on FMCSA records, and spot impersonators.
A 5-minute check before you book: verify broker authority, BMC-84/85 bond, authority age, and contact info on FMCSA records, and spot impersonators.
Double Brokering: How to Spot It and What to Do If You Weren't Paid
What double brokering is, warning signs, what federal law says about unlawful brokerage, and the steps to take if you hauled a re-brokered load and nobody paid you.
What double brokering is, warning signs, what federal law says about unlawful brokerage, and the steps to take if you hauled a re-brokered load and nobody paid you.
Broker Says the Shipper Hasn't Paid Them? What Carriers Should Know
"We haven't been paid by our customer" is a common excuse. What your contract likely says, your right to review the broker's records under 49 CFR 371.3, and next steps.
"We haven't been paid by our customer" is a common excuse. What your contract likely says, your right to review the broker's records under 49 CFR 371.3, and next steps.
Broker Went Out of Business or Filed Bankruptcy: How Carriers Can Still Get Paid
When a freight broker shuts down or files bankruptcy: the 60-day bond-claim window after an FMCSA Register notice, how bankruptcy changes things, and steps to protect your claim.
When a freight broker shuts down or files bankruptcy: the 60-day bond-claim window after an FMCSA Register notice, how bankruptcy changes things, and steps to protect your claim.
Factoring Company Charged Back an Unpaid Load? What Carriers Can Do
When a broker doesn't pay a factored invoice: recourse vs. non-recourse, who owns the claim, coordinating demands and bond claims with your factor, and protecting yourself.
When a broker doesn't pay a factored invoice: recourse vs. non-recourse, who owns the claim, coordinating demands and bond claims with your factor, and protecting yourself.
Broker Short-Paid Your Load? How to Dispute Deductions
Short pays, surprise deductions, and missing detention or lumper reimbursements: how to dispute them in writing, what documents help, and when a bond claim makes sense.
Short pays, surprise deductions, and missing detention or lumper reimbursements: how to dispute them in writing, what documents help, and when a bond claim makes sense.
How to File an FMCSA Complaint Against a Freight Broker
Step-by-step: filing a broker complaint with the FMCSA Complaint Center (formerly the National Consumer Complaint Database), what to include, and what FMCSA does with it.
Step-by-step: filing a broker complaint with the FMCSA Complaint Center (formerly the National Consumer Complaint Database), what to include, and what FMCSA does with it.
Freight Broker Red Flags: A Checklist for Owner-Operators
A practical checklist of broker warning signs from FMCSA records and FMCSA fraud guidance: authority, bond, contact mismatches, rate con issues, and payment behavior.
A practical checklist of broker warning signs from FMCSA records and FMCSA fraud guidance: authority, bond, contact mismatches, rate con issues, and payment behavior.
How Long Does a Freight Broker Have to Pay a Carrier?
There's no single federal payment deadline. What sets broker payment terms, when the clock usually starts, what "late" means for you, and when to escalate to a demand or bond claim.
There's no single federal payment deadline. What sets broker payment terms, when the clock usually starts, what "late" means for you, and when to escalate to a demand or bond claim.
Rate Confirmations: What to Check So You Actually Get Paid
The rate con is your best evidence in a payment dispute. What it should include, terms to watch for, and how it's used in demand letters and broker bond claims.
The rate con is your best evidence in a payment dispute. What it should include, terms to watch for, and how it's used in demand letters and broker bond claims.
Check the broker first. It's free.
See authority status, authority age, BMC-84/85 on file, and the surety name from FMCSA records.
Broker owes you? Build a demand letter + bond-claim packet for $19.Also: UCR, 2290, MCS-150 and IFTA deadlines.
Not legal advice. This is a document-preparation tool, not a law firm. Results aren't guaranteed. Verify all info with FMCSA and consult an attorney for legal questions.