Broker authority badges and what they mean

Load Work checks every broker’s FMCSA operating authority and displays the result as a colored badge on load cards and broker profiles. The badge is the fastest at-a-glance trust signal on the platform. Load Work checks each broker’s FMCSA operating authority and shows the result on every load card and broker profile page. On a broker profile page, the badge appears as a chip next to the MC/DOT line. An unverified broker’s profile chip reads “Authority pending” — this is the same as the red “Unverified” badge on load cards.

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What each badge means in practice

Green: Active broker authority The broker has an active MC number on file with FMCSA. This is the strongest single signal that the broker is legitimate and legally authorized to arrange freight. You should still verify the MC number yourself on safer.fmcsa.dot.gov before you book, but green means Load Work has already confirmed it. Red: Unverified The broker’s authority is inactive, or no broker authority exists at all. This does not prove fraud. Some legitimate brokers let authority lapse temporarily. But a red badge means you should pause and verify independently. Do not accept a load from a red-badge broker without checking FMCSA yourself. Gray: Not checked yet Load Work has not yet been able to verify this broker against FMCSA. This happens with new or infrequent posters. Treat gray the same as red: verify the MC number yourself before you commit.

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Where the badges appear

• On every load card in search results, next to the broker name
• On the broker profile page, as a chip next to the MC/DOT line
• In the broker directory list, as the leftmost column

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Reading the chip on a broker profile

The chip next to a broker’s MC/DOT reflects the same three states as the load-card badge.

• When Load Work has confirmed active FMCSA authority, the profile chip shows that active state, and the same broker’s loads carry the green Active broker authority badge on the board.
• When authority is inactive, missing, or not yet checked, the chip reads Authority pending. This corresponds to the red Unverified badge on load cards.

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What to do when you see a red or gray badge

1. Click View broker on the load card to open the broker profile.
2. Copy the MC number from the profile.
3. Look it up on safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.
4. If the authority is active there but red here, the data may be syncing. If it is inactive or missing everywhere, proceed with extreme caution or skip the load.