Broker credit checks: the five-minute habit that prevents a bad debt

2 July 2026 · 4 min read · Daud Ather

The single most expensive mistake we see with new carriers is accepting a load from a broker nobody checked. It is expensive because it is avoidable in about five minutes, and because a non-recourse agreement does not protect a load the factor never approved.

What to check before you accept

• Credit score with your factor. Most factors will approve or decline a broker in minutes. Ask before you accept, not after you load.
• Days-to-pay history. A broker who pays in 62 days is not a bad debt, but they change your cash flow planning considerably.
• Recent claim activity. A cluster of recent disputes is worth a second look even on a decent score.
• Authority status. Check the MC is active and the name on the rate confirmation matches it exactly.

Approval before the load is what makes a non-recourse agreement mean anything.

Build it into the routine

The carriers who never take a bad debt are not lucky. They have simply made it the first thing that happens after a rate confirmation arrives, every single time, including on a Friday afternoon when the load is good and the pickup is in two hours.