Vet a Transportation Affiliate Before You Assign a Trip

Handing a trip to another transportation company means your customer will experience their vehicle, driver, and service. Check the partner before the trip is assigned, then keep a record of what you checked.

Before you confirm the trip

1. Match the company to the trip. Record its legal name, dispatch contact, operating area, vehicle type and capacity. Confirm who will actually operate the vehicle; a familiar brand name is not enough if another carrier is doing the work.
2. Check authority and insurance where required. For an interstate passenger carrier subject to federal oversight, use FMCSA’s passenger-carrier search to review registration and insurance status. FMCSA says this search does not cover operators outside federal oversight. For a wholly intrastate trip, check the applicable state and local agencies too. Confirm the insurance you require for the trip directly with the insurer or broker; do not rely on an old certificate in a folder.
3. Confirm the actual service. Ask what vehicle will arrive, whether it fits the passenger and luggage count, and how an accessibility request will be handled. Make sure the pickup instructions and any promised amenities are documented.
4. Set the handoff and escalation path. Give the affiliate a trip contact and get its after-hours dispatch number. Agree on how it will report a late vehicle, substitution, breakdown, collision, or customer complaint—and who will update the passenger.
5. Keep the decision record. Save the date, source and result of each check, the vehicle and driver details you confirmed, and the person who approved the assignment. Recheck time-sensitive items before later trips instead of treating a one-time review as permanent clearance.

FMCSA’s Company Snapshot provides a free view of a registered carrier’s identification and available safety record. It is one input, not a guarantee of future performance. A partner that cannot confirm the basics should not be treated as vetted just because a trip is urgent.

If this review also exposes gaps in your own company’s driver or compliance records, see LBC Fleet’s compliance services. That is separate from independently approving an affiliate.