What a carrier packet should contain before the first dispatch

A truck is ready, the driver has hours left on the clock, and the load is sitting at the dock waiting for a carrier to confirm. Then the broker asks for "the packet," and the dispatch stalls for a day because nobody had the right documents on hand. This happens constantly, and it's almost always avoidable. Brokers can't legally tender freight to a carrier they haven't verified, so the packet isn't a formality. It's the thing that has to exist before the wheels move.

What brokers are actually checking

Before a broker assigns a load, they need to confirm that the carrier holds active operating authority, carries the required insurance, and is who they say they are. Some of this comes from public FMCSA records. The rest has to come from the carrier directly, because insurance limits, banking details, and equipment specifics aren't published anywhere.

The core documents

Requirements vary slightly by broker, but most carrier packets ask for the same baseline:

• Signed carrier-broker agreement — sets the terms both sides operate under, including payment terms and liability.
• Certificate of insurance — showing auto liability and cargo coverage, with limits that meet or exceed what the broker requires, and often naming the broker as a certificate holder.
• W-9 — needed for tax reporting and to process payment.
• MC/DOT authority letter or printout — confirming active status, not just a number.
• Voided check or factoring notice of assignment — depending on whether the carrier is paid directly or through a factoring company.
• Equipment list — trailer types, lengths, and any special capabilities like reefer units or flatbed tie-down configurations.

Some brokers also ask for a copy of the driver's CDL and a safety letter, particularly for cross-border or high-value freight. None of this is unusual; it's the standard a carrier should expect to meet with any brokerage before the first load, not just the first one with a given partner.

Why this matters more than it seems

A packet with gaps doesn't just slow down onboarding. It can mean a load gets reassigned to another carrier while the paperwork gets sorted out, which is money left on the table for a truck that was ready to run. On the broker side, dispatching a load to a carrier whose insurance has lapsed or whose authority isn't active creates real liability exposure. Neither side benefits from skipping steps, which is why this verification happens before, not after, the first dispatch.

Where practice varies

Some brokers run a one-time onboarding process and keep a carrier's file active indefinitely, refreshing it periodically. Others re-verify insurance and authority status on every load, especially for long-haul or cross-border lanes where conditions change fast. There's no universal standard here, so it's worth asking a broker directly how often they re-check your file and what triggers a request for updated documents.

How Ellys approaches this

Ellys International Logistics runs an invite-only carrier network and checks carriers against live FMCSA data before dispatch, then continues monitoring after onboarding rather than treating it as a one-time check. The goal is the same one any serious broker has: make sure the carrier on the load is the carrier on file, every time.

If you're a carrier putting a packet together, or you want to know exactly what's required to get into the network, the details are at /carriers.