Freight fraud continues to escalate across the logistics industry, ranging from identity theft and false credentials to unauthorized account changes and rate confirmation spoofing. In response, federal regulators are stepping up enforcement.
Recent legislation introduced in the Senate aims to give the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) more authority to investigate and penalize fraudulent actors. At the same time, the FMCSA has begun rolling out enhanced digital identity verification tools—including facial recognition and government ID matching—to curb the explosion of fraudulent carrier registrations and protect the integrity of the freight ecosystem.
As part of these efforts, the FMCSA has introduced Motus, a new one-stop online registration platform for carriers. It includes modernized features like biometric screening and identity validation and marks a clear step toward stronger enforcement.
“These changes are aimed at cracking down on chameleon carriers, duplicate MCs, and organized cargo theft rings that have become more common in recent years,” says Brett Lankford, Director of Strategy at Fetch Freight. “While it’s not a silver bullet, this system is a significant step in identifying irregularities and preventing bad actors from gaining access to the freight market.”
At Fetch Freight, our team combines rigorous vetting practices with industry-leading tech tools to validate every carrier’s identity, monitoring for red flags, navigating regulatory changes while mitigating risk to keep your freight secure.