Freight collections recover unpaid freight bills owed by brokers, shippers and consignees. When a broker fails to pay a carrier, the broker's $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust may be a source of recovery alongside direct collection from the broker and, in some cases, the shipper.
Why trucking & freight invoices go unpaid
- Brokers paying late or not at all, then going out of business
- Double-brokered loads where the party you hauled for never paid
- Factoring disputes and chargebacks
- Detention, lumper and accessorial charges refused after delivery
Who we collect for
- Owner-operators and small fleets
- Mid-size and large carriers
- Freight brokers collecting from shippers
- 3PLs, warehouses and drayage companies
Speed matters
Bond claims and broker insolvencies reward the creditors who act first. Place freight accounts as soon as they are 30–45 days past terms.
A broker's $75,000 security is a single pool for all of its unpaid carriers and shippers. When a broker fails owing many carriers at once, the surety may pay claims in order or split the bond among everyone who filed, and late claimants can receive little or nothing. Federal law also limits how long a carrier has to sue for unpaid charges on many interstate shipments (49 U.S.C. 14705 sets an 18-month window for those claims), so an old freight bill loses value quickly.
How freight payment flows, and where it breaks
On a brokered load the shipper pays the broker, and the broker pays the carrier, usually on terms of 30 days or less, or faster through a quick-pay program at a discount. The carrier often sells the invoice to a factor, who then becomes the party collecting. Each handoff creates a gap: the shipper may have paid the broker in full while the carrier still waits.
Payment breaks down in a few repeat ways. A broker uses incoming shipper payments to cover older debts and falls behind. A load is double brokered, so the company that dispatched you never had a contract with the shipper. Paperwork is short: the proof of delivery is unsigned, the rate confirmation does not match the invoice, or accessorials were never approved in writing. And a factoring dispute leaves the broker unsure who to pay, which it uses as a reason to pay no one.
Broker excuses and our response
- "The shipper hasn't paid us." Your rate confirmation is a contract with the broker, and it usually does not make your payment depend on the shipper. We hold the broker to it.
- "We never received the POD." We resend the signed bill of lading and proof of delivery by email with read receipts and log the date.
- "You were late, so we are deducting a claim." We ask for the written claim, the shipper's documentation and the rate confirmation terms that allow the deduction.
- "The invoice was paid to your factor." We confirm with the factor and request proof of payment, including the date and reference number.
- "We don't have a record of this load." Federal rules (49 CFR 371.3) require brokers to keep a record of each brokered transaction, and the parties to the transaction generally have a right to review it. We request it.
When the broker can't pay: other sources of recovery
If the broker is insolvent or has disappeared, we file a claim against its BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust fund and gather the documents the surety will ask for: the rate confirmation, signed bill of lading, invoice and proof of your demand. We also check FMCSA records for the broker's authority status and any related entities operating under new MC numbers.
In some cases a carrier can also pursue the shipper or consignee directly for unpaid freight, depending on the bill of lading terms and how courts in that jurisdiction have treated shippers that already paid a broker. This is fact-specific and outcomes vary, so we review the paperwork before recommending it.
Credit practices that protect carriers
- Check a broker's authority, bond status and days-to-pay before accepting its loads
- Get a signed rate confirmation for every load, including detention and lumper terms
- Send PODs the same day as delivery and keep the delivery receipt with the invoice
- Set a hard limit on how much open freight one broker can carry at a time
- Stop accepting new loads from a broker that is past terms on old ones
Documents that make your claim collectible
- Rate confirmation
- Signed bill of lading and proof of delivery
- Invoice and any accessorial documentation
- Broker-carrier agreement
- Load board posting or emails
- Factoring agreement if the invoice was factored
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim against a broker's bond?
Often, yes. Carriers with unpaid freight from a bonded broker can file a claim with the broker's surety or trust provider. Larger claims may share a limited bond, so filing early matters.
Can you collect detention and lumper charges?
Yes, when the charges were agreed on the rate confirmation or approved in writing, and you have the in and out times or lumper receipt to back them up. Undocumented accessorials added after delivery are much harder to collect, so we look at the paper trail first.
I factored the invoice. Can I still place it with you?
That depends on your factoring agreement. With recourse factoring the invoice may be charged back to you, and you or the factor can then place it. We confirm who owns the receivable before we contact the broker so the debtor is not asked to pay twice.
How quickly should I place a past-due freight bill?
Usually within 30 to 45 days past terms. Brokers in trouble tend to fail quickly, and the earliest claimants on a broker's bond and assets usually recover the most. Our rate is set by the balance, from 10% to 30%, and we start the same business day.
Where we collect for trucking & freight businesses
Owed money by a business?
Place an account in three minutes. No recovery, no fee. Rates from 10%.