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Carrier packet
A carrier packet is the set of documents a brokerage collects before it will tender freight to a carrier, usually authority, insurance, and a signed agreement.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
The packet is the file that says this carrier is set up. It usually holds the MC and USDOT numbers, the insurance certificate, a W-9, and the broker-carrier agreement they signed. Some desks add equipment or a contacts page. The point is not the thickness of the PDF. The point is that you will not tender a load to a carrier who has not given you the papers your own rules require.
A packet on file is not a fresh check. Insurance expires. Authority goes inactive. A certificate that was good in March may be wrong in October. The packet gets you the identity and the agreement. The check on the day of the load gets you the status.
Setup and the live cover are two moments. Setup is when the carrier wants to haul for you. The cover is when a specific load needs a specific truck. Skip setup and you have no agreement. Skip the live check and you have an agreement with a carrier who cannot legally roll today.
FreightScout vets authority and insurance before it discusses a rate, and it writes the booked carrier back after you approve the booking. The packet is still your agreement. How FreightScout books a carrier.
Questions people actually ask
Does a finished carrier packet mean I can book them today?
No. Authority and insurance change. The packet is the setup. The check on this load is separate, and FreightScout runs that check before a rate is discussed.
What is a carrier packet for?
The identity and the signed agreement: the MC, the USDOT number, the insurance certificate, a W-9, and your broker-carrier agreement. It is not a safety rating, and it does not replace looking again on the day you tender.