Verification · Insurance
Carrier insurance verification from the source, not the inbox.
A certificate of insurance is a document somebody sent you. Happy Tactic gets the policy data direct from the insurance source, then checks that the name, the dates, the truck and the driver all line up with your load.
Sample data. Illustrates how a mismatch surfaces.
The problem
What a certificate of insurance can’t tell you
Forwarded COIs are still how most carrier insurance gets checked, and they’re convenient for everyone, including anyone who wants to edit one. Even when a certificate is genuine, it has limits.
- It’s a moment in time. It shows coverage on the day it was issued, not today.
- It may not be about your truck. A valid policy doesn’t mean the VIN or driver on your load is covered.
- It passed through someone’s hands. The party sending it is often the party you’re trying to check.
- The name may be close but wrong. “LLC” and “Inc” can be two different companies, which is exactly how a borrowed identity slips past a quick look.
Checking insurance filings on the federal record helps, and we capture those too. A filing still won’t tell you about the driver and truck on this particular load.
The checks
What gets verified, and what happens when it doesn’t match
The owner connects their own account
They authenticate with their insurance provider through a secure link. The policy data and declaration page come to us directly, not through an inbox.
Named insured vs. legal name
The insured name is compared with the carrier’s legal name on the federal record. A mismatch fails the verification outright.
Dates and pending cancellation
We capture effective and expiration dates and any pending-cancellation flag. A pending cancellation expires the verification immediately.
Covered vehicles
The VIN captured from the truck is compared with the VINs listed on the policy.
Named drivers
The driver on your load is compared with the drivers listed on the policy.
Your own minimums
Set the coverage you require. Carriers below it are blocked from tenders by the TMS, and expiry warnings arrive at 14 and 7 days.
The difference
An emailed COI vs. the policy itself
| Question | Emailed COI | Happy Tactic |
|---|---|---|
| Where it came from | Whoever sent the email | Direct from the insurance source |
| Is it current? | As of the day it was issued | Current, with alerts on adverse changes |
| Does it cover this truck? | You’d have to ask | VIN compared with the policy |
| Pending cancellation? | Not shown | Captured, and expires the verification |
| Can it be edited? | It’s a PDF | Data arrives over a signed connection |
Questions brokers ask
Straight answers.
How do I verify a carrier’s insurance?
Check the filings on the federal record first, then confirm the policy itself with the source rather than relying on a forwarded certificate. Compare the named insured to the carrier’s legal name, check the dates and any pending cancellation, and confirm the truck and driver on your load are actually covered.
Can a certificate of insurance be faked?
Yes. A COI is a document that usually passes through someone’s hands before it reaches you, and PDFs are easy to edit. Even a genuine certificate only shows what was true when it was issued. It won’t tell you about a cancellation that started last week.
What minimum insurance should a carrier have?
Federal minimums depend on the cargo and vehicle; $750,000 in public liability is the common baseline for general freight. Many brokers require more in their agreements, such as $1 million auto and $100,000 cargo. In Happy Tactic you set your own minimums, and non-compliant carriers are blocked from tenders.
What information comes from the source?
Policy number, insurer, named insured, effective and expiration dates, any pending-cancellation flag, the VINs and named drivers on the policy, and the declaration page.
What happens if a policy is cancelled after approval?
A verification can’t outlast the insurance behind it. Its validity is capped at the policy expiration, and a pending cancellation expires it immediately. You get an alert, and the carrier is blocked from new tenders.
Does the carrier have to do anything?
The carrier’s owner connects their own insurance account through a secure link. It takes them no account with us, and it is the reason the data can be trusted: they had to authenticate somewhere neither they nor we control.
Stop taking insurance on faith.
Every verification checks the policy, the truck and the driver. Every plan includes it.