Gateway Lines

Free vendor check

Is your freight forwarder actually licensed?

Check any freight forwarder, NVOCC, trucker, freight broker or customs broker against FMC, FMCSA and CBP records, or look up a SCAC code. Free.

Before you hand someone your container, check who they are.

Company name or FMC license number.

How to check a freight forwarder's FMC license

In the United States, an ocean freight forwarder or an NVOCC (a non-vessel-operating common carrier, which issues its own bills of lading) needs a license from the Federal Maritime Commission.

Every license holder keeps a bond or other financial security on file with the FMC: $50,000 for an ocean freight forwarder and $75,000 for an NVOCC. A foreign NVOCC that registers with the FMC instead of getting a license files $150,000.

Search the company name or license number above, and check that the name on your invoice matches the license or one of its trade names.

What USDOT and MC numbers mean

A company that runs commercial trucks across state lines has a USDOT number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). For-hire carriers and freight brokers also need FMCSA operating authority, which carries a docket number such as MC-123456.

A freight broker must keep a $75,000 surety bond or trust fund on file. A for-hire carrier hauling general freight in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 of liability insurance.

The FMCSA result above shows whether the company is authorized to operate, what authority it holds and what insurance is on file today.

How customs brokers are licensed

Customs brokers are licensed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). To file entries anywhere in the country, a broker also needs a national permit.

CBP gives each filer a three-character filer code. The first three characters of every entry number are the code of whoever filed it, so your entry paperwork tells you which broker filed for you.

Search the broker name or filer code above.

The signs of an impostor

A common scam is to pose as a real, licensed company: the right name, but a different phone number, email address or bank account.

Compare the phone and address on the record with the ones you were given, and call the number on the record. Be careful with a last-minute change of bank details, a payment request in another company name, or an email domain that does not match the company website.

FMCSA operating authority cannot be sold or lent, so a company using someone else's number is a warning sign on its own.

Questions

Is the vendor check free?

Yes. Your email gives you 5 checks a week, and a free account (just an email and a password) gives you 25 and a list of everything you checked.

Where do the records come from?

Freight forwarders and NVOCCs come from the Federal Maritime Commission's freight forwarder and NVOCC lists (an NVOCC based outside the U.S. may be registered rather than licensed), ocean carriers from the FMC's carrier list, truckers and freight brokers from FMCSA (checked live), customs brokers from CBP's broker permit list, and SCAC codes from a SCAC list dated 2014. Each result shows its list's date.

What is a SCAC code, and why is the list from 2014?

A SCAC (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) is the 2 to 4 letter code that names a carrier on bills of lading and customs filings. NMFTA issues them. Our SCAC list dates from 2014, so a code issued since then won't show here, and that alone doesn't mean a code is fake. For a current answer, check the company's FMC or FMCSA record.

Does Gateway vouch for the companies it shows?

No. The check shows what public government records say on the date shown. A license on file is a good start, not a promise about how a company will handle your freight.

What if a company I use is not found?

Records are kept under the legal name, which can differ from the name on a website or invoice. Ask the company for its FMC license number, USDOT or MC number, or CBP filer code, and check that number here. If it still doesn't appear, ask them why.

How do I spot someone pretending to be a real company?

Compare the phone number and address on the record with the ones they gave you, call the number on the record rather than the one in the email, and be careful with any request to pay a new bank account or a different company name.