How to Find a Freight Broker's Surety Company (and the Claims Contact)

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.

To file a bond claim, you need to know who holds the bond. That's public information. Here's how to find it and how to reach the right department.

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

9. Step 1: Get the broker's MC number right

Use the MC number from your rate con. Check it against FMCSA records: the legal name should match the company you dealt with. If it doesn't, stop and figure out why. You might be dealing with a different entity, a dispatcher, or a scammer using someone else's MC.

Step 2: Look up the insurance filings

Fast way: type the MC into our free Broker Check. It pulls FMCSA's active and pending insurance filings and shows any BMC-84 surety or BMC-85 trustee with the bond/trust number and effective date.

Official way: go to the FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I) system, search by docket (MC) number, open the company, and look at its active/pending insurance and insurance history. The broker bond appears as a BMC-84 (surety bond) or BMC-85 (trust fund) filing with the company name and bond or policy number. The history view also shows cancellations and replacements, which matters if the bond changed while your load was moving.

Why history matters: under 49 CFR 387.307, when a bond or trust is replaced, the old surety's liability ends at the replacement date, but "such termination shall not affect the liability of the surety or the trustee... for the payment of any damages arising as the result of contracts... made by the broker... prior to the date such termination becomes effective." In plain terms, the surety on file when you booked the load may be the right one, even if a different surety is listed today.

Step 3: Find the surety's claims department

FMCSA's records give you the surety's name, often shortened or cut off. They don't reliably give a claims address. To get it:

Search the surety's full company name plus "surety claims" or "bond claim" and go to its official website, not a lead-gen site.
Look for a surety (not auto or cargo) claims page, address, or email.
Call the company's main number and ask for the surety claims department. Ask where to send a freight broker (BMC-84) bond claim and whether there's a claim form.
Write down the name of the person you talked to, the date, and the address or email they gave you.

Some bonds are placed through a bond agency or program administrator that handles claims for the surety. If the surety tells you to send claims somewhere else, get it in writing.

Step 4: For a BMC-85 trust

The filing lists the trustee, a financial institution or other entity under 49 CFR 387.307(c). Contact it the same way and ask how it handles claims against the broker's trust fund.

What if there's no bond on file?

If there's no active BMC-84 or BMC-85, check the insurance history for a recently cancelled one. You may still have a claim against the surety that was on file when you hauled. If there was never a bond, the company wasn't legally operating as a broker. You can file an FMCSA complaint in the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database and talk to an attorney about other options.

Watch the FMCSA Register

If a broker fails financially, the current rule says FMCSA posts notice in the FMCSA Register, and the surety must accept claims for 60 calendar days after that notice (49 CFR 387.307(f)). If you're owed by a broker that's in trouble, check it.

Next: file the claim step by step, or read BMC-84 vs BMC-85. And keep your own registration current: deadlines.

Tips that save time

Use the bond number. When you contact the surety, give the bond or trust number from FMCSA's record along with the broker's legal name and MC. It helps the surety find the right file fast.
Expect shortened names. FMCSA's data field can cut long company names off. Search the first few words and confirm on the surety's own site.
Ask for a claim form. Many sureties want claims on their form or with a signed statement. Asking up front avoids a round trip.
Ask how they want documents. Some want email with PDFs, some want mail. Follow their instructions exactly.
Keep a contact log. Date, time, person, what they said. You'll want it if the claim drags on.

Red flags when you look up the bond

No BMC-84 or BMC-85 on file.
A cancellation pending or recently completed.
A surety name you can't find any real company for.
A broker name on the bond that doesn't match your rate con.
Brand-new broker authority with no history.

None of these prove anything by themselves, but each is a reason to slow down, verify, and move quickly if you're already owed money.

Sources

FAQ

Where is a broker's surety listed?
On the broker's insurance filings in FMCSA's Licensing & Insurance (L&I) system. The BMC-84 or BMC-85 filing shows the surety or trustee name and the bond or trust number.

Does FMCSA list the surety's claims address?
Not reliably. Get the claims address from the surety's own website or by calling the company, and confirm it before you send anything.

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.

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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.