How C.H. Robinson vets carriers and manages freight safety across its network

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Montgomery v. Caribe Transport decision, industry observers are asking questions about how freight brokers will step up their vigilance on safety issues. But at C.H. Robinson, we already go above and beyond legal requirements, with mature policies and measures to ensure carrier safety and prevent fraud-and we have the results to show for it.

C.H. Robinson will continue offering a safe and dependable carrier network and the highest level of service to our customers.

Here's how it works:

The basics: Our place in the system and under the law

C.H. Robinson works with a network of thousands of carriers to move our customers' freight across North America, operating within a system shaped by federal oversight, industry standards, and our own internal processes.

Our goal is to offer the largest supply of safe and reliable carriers in North America, so that our customers can move their freight confidently and efficiently in a fast-changing business environment. Most - but not all - of the carriers in our network are small and independent businesses, operating just one or a handful of trucks. Managing that level of complexity requires consistent application of standards across every shipment.

We invest extensively in risk mitigation in the areas of fraud and safety. This allows us to operate one of the safest, low-risk, high-reliability networks in North America and deliver significant customer value.

By the numbers

• 1/500,000,000 serious accident claims per miles driven
• 450 chameleon carriers blocked over the past year
• 1,000 the attempts stopped monthly
• 99.999% theft free

Shipments arranged through C.H. Robinson overwhelmingly move without incident, with one serious accident claim filed for every 500 million miles driven on customers' loads. That outcome reflects a rigorous, disciplined approach to how carriers are selected, evaluated, and monitored across our network.

As a federally licensed freight broker, the company connects shippers with motor carriers that are authorized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). It does not own or operate trucks or employ drivers, but plays a central role in how freight is matched and moved across a highly fragmented industry.

Carrier vetting is not a point-in-time step. It is a continuous process, shaped by federal standards, real-time data, and multi-layered internal processes and operational discipline.

Carrier eligibility starts with federal requirements

Under federal law, the FMCSA determines whether a carrier is allowed to operate, using data and safety records, including confidential driver-specific information, that are not accessible to brokers. All carriers in the company's network must remain in good standing with the FMCSA.

If a carrier receives an unsatisfactory safety rating, loses insurance, or has its operating authority suspended, that status is published by the FMCSA. C.H. Robinson's systems monitor those updates in real time, and any affected carrier is automatically blocked from moving freight.

Furthermore, carriers must pass C.H. Robinson's own vetting processes to haul freight for our customers.

How carriers are evaluated and monitored

C.H. Robinson utilizes a combination of third-party and proprietary technology to conduct real-time analysis to confirm freight is moved by safe, reliable carriers. Applied consistently across millions of shipments, this is a disciplined, objective system that is continuously refined and improved as new risks emerge and conditions change.

Our risk-protection approach includes leading carrier validation and identity platforms such as Highway and GenLogs, combined with proprietary systems used to vet carriers, monitor insurance in real time, and detect risk before freight moves. When an issue is identified, the shipment and/or carrier are temporarily deactivated and vetted immediately.

All our transactions occur on Robinson's own platform, rather than on third-party sites. Each shipment is evaluated using real-time analytics to identify potential risk factors, including signals associated with fraud or carrier misrepresentation.

C.H. Robinson also maintains clear carrier quality and performance standards. Carrier selection for individual shipments reflects both customer requirements and carrier factors, including service expectations, timing, and location.

As a result, we can:

• Identify and block fraudulent or unsafe chameleon carriers from accessing our network. Over the past year, we have stopped over 450 attempts.
• Stop double brokerage, (the practice in which a carrier defrauds the broker by reassigning a load to another carrier in violation of contractual terms and federal law), so that we know that the carrier we vetted and booked is the one hauling the customer's freight.
• Remove risk of carriers using uninsured drivers and equipment
• Stop over 1,000 theft attempts each month and stay 99.999% theft-free
• Deliver unmatched customer value

Collaboration is key

Finally, C.H. Robinson works with partners across the industry, including participation in fraud prevention roundtables and direct engagement with law enforcement, customers, and other partners, to strengthen safety practices across the supply chain. Operating in a system where, even after the Supreme Court's Montgomery decision, oversight is primarily managed at the federal level, we support stronger national standards and actively advocate for increased enforcement and coordination across the industry.

C.H Robinson actively engages with the U.S. Department of Transportation on ways to support efforts to identify and remove unsafe or non-compliant carriers from the industry. We are also urging Congress to pass Dalilah's Law (H.R. 5688), which aims to prevent non-compliant and undocumented individuals from obtaining commercial driver's licenses, as well as the SAFER in Transport Act (H.R. 8267), which would strengthen federal enforcement against freight fraud, improve coordination among agencies, and give FMCSA more authority to shut down chameleon carriers

The bottom line

Building the safest possible freight sector for America is a process that will keep evolving as new risks and solutions emerge. Success requires constant vigilance, continuous improvement, the smart application of technology, and close collaboration between all actors.

But the basic principle always remains the same: every single accident is one too many, and every effective measure towards increased safety is a welcome step forward.