Official checks · 7 min read
Jakub Wujec
Last reviewed: 16 June 2026
Vehicle insurance carrier check before loading
A vehicle insurance carrier check confirms mandatory motor third-party liability (MTPL) is active for the registration plate you will load. National motor insurer bureaus publish plate-based lookups: UFG in Poland, AIDA in Romania, SKP in Slovakia, CAB in Lithuania, LTAB in Latvia, ČKP in Czechia, and others. Compare active cover to pickup date. This is not cargo insurance. Without a plate you usually cannot complete the bureau check.
Key checks before you assign the load
- MTPL bureau checks need vehicle registration numbers.
- Active OC, RCA, or OCTA on pickup day is the target.
- Policy holder name is not always in bureau output.
- Confirm the plate is a commercial truck where the source classifies vehicles.
- Cargo or CMR cover needs separate policy review.
- Save bureau printout with plate and date in the load file.
How to check vehicle insurance by plate step by step
Each country runs its own motor insurers bureau, and all of them work from the vehicle plate rather than the company identifier.
Step 1: pick the bureau for the plate’s country
Use UFG for a Polish plate, AIDA for a Romanian plate, SKP for Slovakia, CAB for Lithuania, LTAB for Latvia, ČKP for Czechia, LKF for Estonia, or the Guarantee Fund for Bulgaria.
Step 2: enter the registration plate
Type the plate exactly as it appears on the vehicle, without extra spaces or punctuation the bureau does not expect. Some bureaus accept the VIN as an alternative when you have it.
Step 3: read the active cover flag and vehicle description
Check whether mandatory third-party liability, called OC, RCA, or OCTA depending on the country, is active for the plate on your pickup date, and read the vehicle make and description the bureau returns.
Step 4: compare the vehicle description to the booking
If the returned vehicle does not look like the truck or trailer you were told to expect, for example a passenger car on a heavy goods booking, pause and confirm the plate before you proceed.
Step 5: check the trailer plate separately when you have one
Run the same bureau search for the trailer registration number if you have it. An insured tractor does not mean the trailer is insured too, since they are separate policies in most bureaus.
Step 6: save the result with plate and date
Save the bureau result, screenshot, or PDF together with the plate and the date you checked it, since cover status can change between bookings.
What the check means
Vehicle insurance carrier check in freight usually means mandatory MTPL by plate through the national motor insurers bureau or central register. Polish UFG reports whether OC is active for the plate. Romanian AIDA returns RCA policy status. Similar bureaus exist for Slovakia (SKP), Lithuania (CAB), Latvia (LTAB), Czechia (ČKP), Estonia (LKF), and Bulgaria (Guarantee Fund).
These bureau sources are plate-dependent. Tractor and trailer plates can be checked separately when both are provided.
Why this check matters
- A truck without MTPL should not move on public roads.
- Wrong plate on the policy is a common paperwork mistake before pickup.
- Fake carriers may send cargo insurance PDFs while bureau shows no MTPL.
- Insurance gaps discovered after theft are expensive to chase.
What data can be compared
| Bureau field | Compare with | Risk signal |
|---|---|---|
| Active MTPL flag | Scheduled pickup date | No active policy on the plate |
| Plate queried | Truck or trailer plate on the booking | Plate typo or wrong vehicle |
| Vehicle type or commercial flag | Expected truck class | Non-commercial class on a heavy goods lane |
| Bureau vehicle description | Carrier fleet story | Mismatch may need manual review |
| Trailer plate result | Trailer registration provided | Tractor insured but trailer not |
Limits of the check
- Bureau checks cover mandatory MTPL, not cargo or CMR liability.
- Policy holder name is often absent; pair with company register and contract party.
- Some UFG results may need manual review, not automatic approval.
- No plate on booking means bureau sources cannot run. Ask for the policy PDF or wait for plates before you clear MTPL.
- Bureau downtime or captcha requires retry, not approval on a PDF alone.
Red flags and common mistakes
No active MTPL for the plate
Hard pause before loading. Truck should not roll without mandatory cover.
Plate returns non-commercial vehicle type
On a heavy goods booking, may indicate wrong plate or misrepresented fleet.
Cargo insurance PDF but bureau shows no MTPL
Stack sources. Cargo policy does not replace motor liability on the plate.
Trailer plate unchecked when only tractor was verified
Run trailer bureau check when you have trailer registration numbers.
When you do not want to repeat insurance bureau checks per booking
When you submit tractor and trailer plates, Certica queries national insurance bureaus for that country, including UFG in Poland and equivalents elsewhere.
- Plate-dependent sources documented per country in Documentation.
- Trailer plate checks run when you provide a trailer registration number.
- Bureau PDFs attach to the verification audit trail.
Certica
Don't want to do this on every booking?
Certica pulls data from the same registers, checks it, and shows a clear result: what is OK, and what needs clarifying before loading.
Official sources
FAQ
Can I verify vehicle insurance without a plate?
Bureau MTPL checks need a registration number. Without plates, review cargo policy documents and run company and licence checks.
Is vehicle insurance the same as cargo insurance?
No. Bureau checks are MTPL (OC, RCA, OCTA). Cargo or CMR cover needs separate policy documents.
Which Polish source checks insurance by plate?
UFG. See the UFG vehicle insurance Poland page for OC active status and vehicle classification.
Should I check trailer insurance as well as the tractor?
Yes where trailer plate sources exist, such as UFG trailer and AIDA trailer variants.