Use case · Freight brokers
Jakub Wujec
Last reviewed: 30 July 2026
Carrier verification for freight brokers before you confirm capacity
Freight brokers often meet carriers for the first time on a load board. Verify before you confirm capacity: company active in the register, transport licence valid, VAT in VIES, insurance when plates are known, and email or domain that fits the paperwork. One mismatch means pause before you put your name on the move.
Key checks before you assign the load
- Fresh register extract on the legal entity you will contract with.
- Transport licence status in KREPTD, ARR, JISCD, or the local register.
- VAT active and name consistent with the invoice entity.
- Insurance bureau or plate check when registration numbers are available.
- Email and domain compared with register address and company age.
- Written record of who approved the carrier and when.
Who this page is for
Freight brokers and intermediary haulage desks who source capacity from load boards, carrier databases, and cold contacts.
You may never meet the driver before pickup. Broker carrier vetting is how you reduce the chance of booking a shell company or an impersonator when the rate looks right.
The operational problem
Brokers win on speed and margin. A new carrier replies in ten minutes. Manual checks mean multiple browser tabs and no standard when the desk is busy.
When the carrier fails, the broker name is on the paperwork. Email threads are not freight broker carrier compliance. You need register data dated to booking day and a file if the shipper asks what you checked.
What needs to be checked
Before you confirm capacity to the shipper, run the same five checks whether the carrier is Polish, Romanian, or from another supported country.
| Check | Why it matters | Possible risk signal |
|---|---|---|
| Company register | Confirms the legal entity exists and can contract for haulage today. | Dissolved, in liquidation, or recent owner or board change without explanation. |
| Transport licence | Proves the operator may haul goods on the lane and vehicle type you booked. | Missing licence, suspended status, or scope that does not cover your route. |
| VAT (VIES and local lists) | Shows the tax ID is active and matches the name on the invoice. | Inactive VIES status, name mismatch, or VAT on a dead company. |
| Vehicle MTPL | Confirm active cover for the booked plate on pickup day. Bureau output may include the insurer, policy number and vehicle description, depending on the country. | Inactive plate cover, missing record, or passenger-car class on a freight booking. |
| Cargo/CMR liability | Verify policy holder, dates, limits and territorial scope from the policy document. | Policy holder differs from the contracting carrier, expired dates, or limits too low for the load. |
| Email and domain | Contact details should fit the register address and company age. | Brand-new domain, freemail on a large fleet, or email that does not match KRS or CEIDG. |
Where manual processes fail
Broker desks often vet visually instead of systematically. These gaps show up after a bad load, not before.
- Trusting a licence PDF from email without a live KREPTD or ARR lookup.
- Checking VIES once and skipping local VAT lists where they exist.
- No plate-based insurance check when the carrier sent registration numbers early.
- Different brokers on the same desk using different spreadsheets of links.
- Approving on a friendly call with no independently found or previously confirmed contact channel.
Example verification order
Typical flow: new Romanian carrier on a spot load from a board. Plates arrive before pickup.
1. ANAF and ARR
Check company and VAT in ANAF RegistruTVA (captcha), then operator licence on ARR public register (reCAPTCHA).
2. VIES, plates, and contact
Cross-check VIES, run AIDA RCA when plates are known, and compare email with the ANAF address before sharing pickup details.
Red flags and common mistakes
Asset carrier story, broker licence pattern
Register shows haulage scope but contact behaves like a middleman with no fleet proof. May indicate double broking. Pause before cargo details.
Rate far below market with no register depth
Low rate plus pressure to skip checks is a common fake carrier pattern. Treat urgency as a risk signal.
Invoice entity differs from licence holder
VAT name on the invoice does not match ARR or KREPTD operator name. Requires review before you confirm to the shipper.
Contact details changed since last booking
Same NIP, new Gmail and new domain. Pull a fresh register extract and call the number on file.
Insurance valid but on wrong plates
AIDA or UFG shows cover on a different registration than the truck booked for pickup.
No audit trail when the shipper complains
Email approval is not freight broker carrier compliance. You need dated register results, not screenshots in a thread.
When you do not want to repeat this for every load
One check request when a new carrier pops up on a board. Registers, contact data, and domain checks come back together so the desk can say yes or no before the shipper gets pickup details.
When a shipper or insurer asks what you verified, the PDF lists sources, risk signals, and timestamps. The decision before booking is still the main value.
- Same verification process on every new carrier contact, not whoever is fastest with Google.
- Plate-triggered insurance sources where the country supports them.
- Clear verification outcomes so junior brokers know when to escalate.
- API option when your broker TMS should trigger vetting automatically.
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
- EU VIES VAT validation (European Commission)https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/
- Polish National Court Register (KRS)https://wyszukiwarka-krs.ms.gov.pl
- Polish CEIDG sole trader registerhttps://aplikacja.ceidg.gov.pl/CEIDG/CEIDG.Public.UI/Search.aspx
- Polish KREPTD transport register (GITD)https://kreptd.gitd.gov.pl
- Polish court filings register (RAR)https://rar.ms.gov.pl/rar/wyszukiwanie
- Polish National Debtor Register (KRZ)https://krz.ms.gov.pl/
- Romanian ANAF VAT payer registerhttps://www.anaf.ro/RegistruTVA/
- Romanian ONRC insolvency bulletin (BPI)https://myportal.onrc.ro/
- Romanian road transport licences (ARR)https://licente.arr.ro/publica
- Romanian RCA insurance database (AIDA)https://www.aida.info.ro/politerca/cautare
- Czech ARES business registerhttps://ares.gov.cz/ekonomicke-subjekty
- Bulgarian Road Transport Agency (RTA)https://www.rta.government.bg/bg/672
- Latvian open government data portalhttps://data.gov.lv
FAQ
We only broker occasionally. Is full vetting realistic?
Yes for first loads with a new carrier. Certica is built for the check before you confirm capacity, not a quarterly audit of every partner.
Does Certica replace our broker–carrier agreement?
No. Register checks complement your contract, payment terms, and shipper requirements.
What if the carrier refuses to share plates early?
Run company, licence, VAT, and domain checks first. Add plate-based insurance when numbers arrive. Do not skip registers because plates are late.
Which registers run for Polish and Romanian carriers?
Poland: KRS, CEIDG, REGON, RAR, KREPTD, UFG with plates, VIES, VAT whitelist, Domain. Romania: ANAF, ARR, AIDA with plates, VIES, Domain. See country pages for detail.
Can we prove due diligence to a shipper?
Yes. Download the PDF after a run. It shows fetched sources and verification results dated to that verification.