Got a FreightGuard report? What to do in the first 72 hours
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.
UnpaidLoad is not affiliated with Carrier411, FreightGuard, or Carrier Response. Names are used only to describe those services. Not legal advice.
A broker-filed performance report can follow your MC number for years. On Carrier411's FreightGuard system, the clock starts when the broker submits the report, and you get one shot to respond. Here is how to use the 72 hours well.
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 for9.
How the process works
- The report notice goes by email to the address on your FMCSA registration. It includes a 10-digit response code.
- You respond online at Carrier Response by entering that code. You get one response, and it can't be changed after you submit it.
- The window is 72 hours from when the report was submitted. After that, the report is finalized and released, with your response or a note that you didn't respond.
- During the window, only the reporting company can modify or delete the report. Brokers and shippers can read the final report and your response.
Sources: Carrier411: FreightGuard, Carrier Response: Common Questions & Answers.
Hour 0 to 2: start the clock and gather
- Find the submission time on the report and work out your deadline in your own time zone. Our free Report Defense countdown does this.
- Pull the load file: rate confirmation, BOL, signed POD, ELD/GPS logs, check-in and check-out times, photos, lumper and detention receipts.
- Export the texts and emails with the broker and the shipper or receiver. Keep the originals.
Hour 2 to 24: contact the broker's management
The broker that filed the report is the only one that can change or delete it. Go above the dispatcher: email the owner or operations manager, lay out the facts in order, attach your documents, and ask them to correct or delete the report. Then call to confirm they got it.
Before the deadline: write the response
- Facts only: load number, appointment times, actual arrival and departure, what the documents show.
- Short and professional. Brokers and shippers will read it when they vet you.
- No threats, insults, or guesses about motives. No "I'll sue."
- Don't deny what your own messages show. If there was a dispute about pay or detention, describe it plainly.
What to avoid
Phrases like "won't deliver until paid," "send confirmation of payment first," or "holding the load" are exactly what load-hostage reports are built on. Re-read your thread before you quote any of it. Report Defense flags these phrases automatically.
After you respond
Follow up with the broker in writing about a week later if you haven't heard back. Keep everything in the load file. And make sure the email on your FMCSA record is current (FMCSA: Form MCS-150 and online updates), so you don't miss the next notice.
Free 72-hour countdown, then a one-shot response, deletion-request letter and evidence timeline for $29 (included with Pro).
Fight a bogus reportSources
- Carrier411: FreightGuard
- Carrier Response: Common Questions & Answers
- FMCSA: Form MCS-150 and online updates
FAQ
Carrier Response says you have 72 hours from the date and time the report was submitted, not from when you read the email.
No. You get one response, and once submitted it cannot be changed. The reporting company cannot edit or delete your response either.
The company that submitted the report. Carrier Response says that if you have concerns about the validity of a report, you must contact the company that submitted it.
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.More guides
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