I, on behalf of Carriers, Owner Operators, and Drivers (referred to collectively as CARRIERS in this document), write to draw your attention to the matter of Carrier411 and its unethical business practices that result in defamation and business loss for trucking professionals across the United States of America.

Carrier411 is a vetting platform used by freight brokers to ensure they are using a safe carrier to transport cargo. It allows freight brokers to post reviews and “FreightGuards” against those CARRIERS deemed unsafe. These FreightGuard reports are seen by any freight broker that uses the Carrier411 system, and very often, a CARRIER with a FreightGuard is blacklisted and unable to obtain freight to move, which results in a loss of income. While a vetting platform for professionals can sometimes be necessary, Carrier411 has an unethical approach to vetting CARRIERS.

CARRIERS are informed when a FreightGuard report is posted about them, yet Carrier411 makes it a point to make it impossible for that CARRIER to contact Carrier411. According to their website, “Carrier411 is not a service for trucking companies. We do not allow carriers to have accounts. We do not talk to carriers and will not provide any information to carriers. There are no exceptions. Carriers that attempt to create trials get blocked out of the gate. If you call us from a trucking company, your phone number has probably been blocked using our automated technology. If your trucking company calls from other numbers, they also get blocked fast and identified to customers as phone numbers associated with your trucking company. Customers can also see every date and time carriers called our office. Carriers are not our customers.”

Freight brokers who post reviews and FreightGuards against CARRIERS are not vetted for accuracy. As Carrier411 states on their website, “Carrier411 does not have an obligation to screen, preview, monitor, or approve any content transmitted, posted, or submitted on the site.”

Carrier411 is one of the best-known carrier vetting platforms in the industry, and many freight brokers rely on the information posted in Carrier411 to make decisions about whether to use a particular carrier.

While a vetting platform in a high-risk industry is important, Carrier411 is nothing more than a platform used to intimidate CARRIERS. Due to its non-existent vetting process regarding the reviews and FreightGuards posted about CARRIERS, many bad players use this system as a way to unleash their personal vendetta against a particular CARRIER with baseless claims. Over the course of several years, a multitude of lawsuits have been filed indirectly mentioning Carrier411. Some of them include:

• Greenline Express Transportation, Inc. v. High Plains Logistics Consulting LLC: Although Carrier411 is not a direct party in this case, its data played a significant role in the dispute. High Plains allegedly used Carrier411's reports to make decisions that impacted Greenline's business, leading to a defamation and contract dispute.
• Silkroad Tranz v. Payne Trucking (2020): This defamation case referenced Carrier411 due to the platform being used to report unethical business practices. The case underscores how reports on Carrier411 can lead to reputational harm, influencing contracts and business relationships.
• Numerous Individual Carrier Complaints: Many smaller CARRIERS have mentioned Carrier411 in their legal disputes, focusing on the alleged use of misleading or outdated reports that influenced their business dealings. Though these complaints have not always turned into formal lawsuits, they indicate Carrier411’s pervasive influence in the trucking industry.

In 2024, Carrier411 released new features that further damage CARRIERS. As of October 2024, reviews and FreightGuards that are posted on the website become permanent after 72 hours. While there is a way to delete reports that are over 72 hours, they are not actually permanently deleted but simply reclassified as deleted, raising concerns from other freight brokers who are making decisions regarding the use of a particular carrier. According to the Carrier411 website, “FreightGuard Reports older than 72 hours that get deleted will be reclassified as deleted and still be listed, but they will have Visibility Protection. This significant change is because of the behavior of carriers that cause problems, scammers who harass and threaten brokers, and the cottage industry of companies that emerged claiming they can get FreightGuard Reports deleted from between $500 to $5,000 per report. The average is about $2,500 per report. These enhancements effectively pulled the rug out from under the feet of carrier reputation management companies that charge carriers and claim they can get FreightGuard Reports deleted.”

Additionally, Carrier411 added categories under which a FreightGuard can now be submitted, including but not limited to:

• If a CARRIER works with people or entities from countries outside the United States or Canada. This is a big problem because many CARRIERS elect to use dispatching services that are not based in the United States for cost-effectiveness.
• If a CARRIER retaliates against a freight broker for a FreightGuard report. According to Carrier411, examples of retaliation may include social media attacks and posting negative and false reviews about the freight broker.
• If a CARRIER refuses to track or stops tracking. Due to tracking being connected to the drivers’ phones, tracking may sometimes stop due to the truck driver being in a no-service area. This opens up CARRIERS to baseless FreightGuard reports.
• If a CARRIER demands additional payment. According to Carrier411, this payment includes, but is not limited to, “demanding unexpected fees, claiming unwarranted detention charges or TONU fees, alleging the load was heavier or larger than specified, or any other demands for additional payment.” Oftentimes, CARRIERS will be loaded with heavier freight than is mentioned in the Rate Confirmation. Heavier loads will result in higher costs to the driver and carrier due to the higher fuel expenses. Furthermore, oftentimes a CARRIER is not loaded on time or finds out the load was canceled after arriving to pick up. This costs the CARRIER money and time, which should be reimbursed.
• If a CARRIER files on a broker’s bond. CARRIERS will file on a freight broker’s bond in the event that a broker does not pay the carrier for the services provided, or in the case that a freight broker underpays a CARRIER for the services provided. With the threat of a FreightGuard report, CARRIERS will be in a situation where they will not be able to collect the money owed to them for the services they provided and for the costs related to the provided services.

Due to the way Carrier411 is set up, freight brokers have the ability to file a FreightGuard against any CARRIER for any reason, regardless of whether the review is based in truth or is completely false. Furthermore, the lack of repercussions for the freight broker opens the door for potential extortion as well as harassment. There have been multiple instances where a freight broker would use the threat of a FreightGuard report to force a CARRIER to pick up a load that a CARRIER is not able to pick up, either because of Hours of Service, delays at unloading facilities, illness, or traffic delays. With the new developments within the Carrier411 system, such as the permanence of reviews after 72 hours, CARRIERS are likely to find themselves in a hostage situation that will require them to comply with anything and everything a freight broker demands, regardless of whether it poses legal risk or safety risks, out of fear that if they do not comply, they will have a FreightGuard report that will effectively limit or even destroy their ability to make money in the industry.

With the amount of regulations placed on the CARRIER, it is unethical to now also put CARRIERS in a hostage situation where they fear for the well-being of their business due to the Carrier411 platform. Because of this website, CARRIERS will ultimately be forced to choose between the regulations placed on them at a federal and state level and the demands placed on them by a freight broker. Currently, CARRIERS are considered the scapegoats of the trucking industry, even though their work often depends on other parties in the logistics chain. Some examples are listed below:

• If a shipper overloads a truck to the point where this truck is no longer legal in terms of weight, the CARRIER will now be forced to choose between canceling the load, which could result in a FreightGuard report, or hauling a load that is over the legal limit and facing legal consequences.
• If a CARRIER is delayed due to road conditions or Hours of Service and is not able to pick up or deliver a load on time, the CARRIER will now be forced to choose between being late, which could result in a FreightGuard report, or driving over the speed limit or violating Hours of Service and facing legal consequences.

In essence, the Carrier411 system could bring chaos into the industry, making it impossible for CARRIERS to comply with all the laws and regulations while also complying with the demands that are placed on them by freight brokers.