SCOTUS Ruling — Brokers Can Be Sued

The Supreme Court says you're liable. Prove you did the work.

After Montgomery v. Caribe Transport (May 2026), brokers have a legal duty of reasonable care when selecting carriers. DOTScreener documents every carrier-selection decision with live FMCSA data and a tamper-evident audit trail — your defense starts before the load moves.

No credit card required • 1 free screen included

FMCSA QCMobile Verified DataSHA-256 Hash-Chained RecordsPDF-Ready Review Files
Supreme Court — May 14, 2026

Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that federal law does not shield freight brokers from state-law negligence claims for selecting unsafe carriers. Brokers now owe a duty of “reasonable care” — and plaintiffs' attorneys know it.

500K+
Truck accidents per year in the U.S.
5,000+
Deaths annually from truck crashes
28,000+
Brokers arranging 1/3 of U.S. freight
9–0
Unanimous SCOTUS decision

What this means for your brokerage

  • You can be sued for negligent carrier selection

    The FAAAA safety exception means state tort claims survive federal preemption.

  • Plaintiffs will argue you ignored public safety data

    Crash rates, OOS percentages, and authority status are all publicly available — and discoverable.

  • Documented due diligence is your best defense

    DOTScreener creates a timestamped, hash-chained record proving you reviewed every carrier before tendering.

  • “Just hire carriers with a reasonable safety policy”

    Justice Kavanaugh's concurrence — the bar is clear, and DOTScreener helps you clear it.

Protect Your Brokerage Now

Three steps. Complete due diligence.

Screen the carrier, let the carrier fix what's flagged, then confirm and lock your audit trail — all before the load moves.

Step 01

Screen the carrier

Enter an MC or DOT number. DOTScreener pulls live FMCSA data — authority, insurance, crash history, inspection rates, and OOS percentages — and flags anything that doesn't meet your policy.

Step 02

Carrier completes requirements

If anything is flagged, the carrier gets an email with exactly what to address. They upload documents, confirm their pre-trip inspection, and verify insurance — all through a simple link. No back-and-forth.

Step 03

Confirm and lock the record

See at a glance when every requirement is met. Confirm you reviewed the carrier's compliance. DOTScreener generates a timestamped, hash-chained PDF — your proof of due diligence.

Built for freight brokers

Every feature is designed around the carrier-selection workflow your team already runs.

Live FMCSA data

Authority status, insurance on file, crash and inspection records pulled in real time from QCMobile.

Double-broker detection

Automatically flags broker-only entities so your team never accidentally tenders to one.

Configurable policy engine

Set your own thresholds for authority age, OOS rates, crash history, and inspection minimums.

Carrier compliance portal

Carriers get a simple link to upload documents, confirm pre-trip inspections, and verify insurance. No app download, no login — just upload and go.

Plaintiff attack preview

See the arguments a plaintiff attorney would make — before a claim is ever filed.

Tamper-evident audit trail

Every event is SHA-256 hash-chained. The record proves nothing was altered after the fact.

Simple, transparent pricing

Unlimited screens on every plan. No per-screen fees, no usage caps — there's never a reason to skip a screen.

$99
One-time setup
Account activation
$29
Per seat / month
Unlimited screens
$0
Per screen
Always free to run
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What DOTScreener does

  • Screens carriers against live FMCSA data in seconds
  • Flags safety issues and tells the carrier exactly what to fix
  • Lets carriers upload documents and confirm pre-trip inspections
  • Shows you at a glance when all requirements are met
  • Detects broker-only entities (double-broker flag)
  • Generates a tamper-evident PDF proving you did your due diligence
  • Builds hash-chained audit trails that hold up in court

What DOTScreener is not

  • Not a cargo-theft prevention platform
  • Not continuous monitoring — it captures a point-in-time snapshot
  • Not a carrier directory or load board
  • Not a crash prediction engine
  • Not legal advice or a legal guarantee of any kind