Rate Confirmations: What to Check So You Actually Get Paid

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.

When a payment goes bad, the first thing a surety, attorney, or judge will ask for is the rate confirmation. A clean, complete rate con makes your demand letter strong and your bond claim easy to prove. A sloppy one makes everything harder.

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. What a rate con should show

Broker's legal name, MC number, address, and contact. These should match FMCSA records. Check with our free Broker Check.
Your company name and MC.
Load number and reference numbers.
Pickup and delivery: locations, dates, appointment times.
Commodity and weight (and any special requirements).
The agreed rate and what it includes.
Accessorials: detention, layover, TONU, lumper reimbursement, with conditions.
Payment terms: net days, trigger, quick-pay fee, where to send paperwork.
Signatures or acceptance and the date.

Terms to read twice

Payment contingency: language making your pay depend on the shipper paying the broker.
Deductions and penalties: late paperwork, late delivery, tracking failures.
Claims handling: how cargo damage claims are resolved and whether the broker can withhold payment.
Re-brokering clauses: most prohibit you from re-brokering. Don't.
Incorporation of another agreement: if the rate con says it's governed by a broker-carrier agreement, get a copy and read it.

Changes after you accept

If anything changes (rate, dates, a stop added), get an amended rate con or at least a clear email confirming the new terms. Verbal changes are hard to prove later.

How the rate con is used if you're not paid

In a demand letter, you cite the rate con date and agreed rate. In a bond claim, it's usually Exhibit A: proof the broker tendered the load and agreed to pay. The BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust exists to pay carriers "if the broker fails to carry out its contracts, agreements, or arrangements for the supplying of transportation by authorized motor carriers" (49 CFR 387.307). Your rate con is the best evidence of that contract. Brokers must also keep their own record of each transaction for three years, which each party can review (49 CFR 371.3).

Fraud check

Compare the rate con to FMCSA's record and to the pickup paperwork. FMCSA's fraud guidance urges careful document examination and calling the number listed in SAFER if contact details don't match (FMCSA: Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft). A rate con from one company with a BOL naming another can be a sign of double brokering. See double brokering.

Keep a clean file for every load

Rate con (and amendments)
BOL and signed POD
Invoice and proof you sent it
Lumper receipts, detention records
Messages with the broker

That's also the exhibit list for a bond claim. Our $19 claim packet merges your rate con, POD, and invoice into a ready-to-send packet with a demand letter and bond-claim letter.

Questions to ask before you sign

Is this rate all-in, or are fuel and accessorials separate?
What's the free time before detention, and how do I notify you?
Is lumper reimbursed, and do you need approval first?
What exactly do you need for payment, and where do I send it?
What are the payment terms, and when does the clock start?
Is there a separate broker-carrier agreement? Can I get a copy?

Ask by email so the answers are in writing.

Common mistakes

Dispatching before the rate con arrives.
Signing without reading the terms page.
Accepting verbal changes.
Not checking that the broker's name and MC match FMCSA.
Losing the rate con. Keep a copy with each load file, not just in an email inbox.

Red flags on the rate con itself

Broker name or MC that doesn't match FMCSA.
Missing payment terms.
Contact info that differs from FMCSA's record.
A rate far above market for the lane.
Instructions to use a different carrier name.

Any of these is a reason to stop and verify. See the full red flags checklist.

Sources

FAQ

Is a rate confirmation a contract?
A rate confirmation usually documents the agreed terms for a load and is often central evidence in a payment dispute. Whether and how it binds depends on its terms and any broker-carrier agreement. Ask an attorney for specifics.

What if the broker changes the rate after I accept?
Get any change in writing as an amended rate con or email before you haul. If a change wasn't agreed in writing, save everything showing the original terms.

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.