Never Hand Over Your MC: How One Load You Didn't Book Can Damage Your Reputation

The short version: a carrier let another dispatcher work under its MC. When the owner told that dispatcher to stop, nobody cleaned up what was already booked. A load under the carrier's MC was not handled properly, the broker was never told and the load was never cancelled, so the broker filed a report against the owner. The carrier had never even dealt with that broker itself.

This happened to a carrier we spoke with. I have left out names. The lesson applies to every owner-operator: your MC number is your reputation, and anyone who can book under it can damage it.

What happened

• The owner had been working with another dispatcher who was booking loads under his MC.
• The owner was not happy with how that dispatcher worked and told him to stop.
• The dispatcher stopped calling, but the relationship was never properly closed: bookings already made under the MC were not reviewed, and the broker was not contacted.
• One load under the carrier's MC was mishandled. The broker was not kept informed and the booking was never cancelled.
• The broker did what brokers do: filed a report against the carrier, because the MC on the rate confirmation belonged to the owner, not to the dispatcher.

Reports like this, such as a FreightGuard on Carrier411, are seen by other brokers before they book a carrier. A single one can cost a small carrier loads for months, and the carrier is not always notified in time to respond.

How to protect your MC

1. Never give anyone your MC credentials or load board logins

A legitimate dispatcher does not need your FMCSA portal password, your load board password or your email password. They book under your authority with a written dispatch agreement and send you every rate confirmation before it is signed.

2. Put the dispatch relationship in writing

A short agreement should say what the dispatcher can do on your behalf, that you approve every load, and how either side ends the relationship. If a dispatcher will not sign one, that is your answer.

3. When you end a dispatcher, close everything the same day

• Ask for a list of every load booked or pending under your MC, and confirm each one with the broker.
• Cancel anything you will not run, in writing, before the pickup time.
• Change every password the dispatcher ever had access to.
• Tell the brokers you work with that the dispatcher no longer represents you.

4. Watch your MC

Check your carrier profile with the load boards and monitoring services brokers use. If a report appears, respond quickly, professionally and with documents. Some report systems give carriers only a short window to answer.

5. If something goes wrong, call the broker yourself

A short honest call ("this booking was made by a dispatcher we no longer work with; here is what we can do") often stops a report before it is filed.

How we work

At Priority Dispatch you approve every load before we confirm it, and there is no contract, so you can stop at any time. Whoever you work with, ask for the list of open loads under your MC whenever the relationship ends. See how owner-operator dispatch works and how to choose a dispatch service.

Related: freight fraud and double brokering and what we learned when an ELD went down mid-load.