Comparison · facts verified
CarrierKYC vs Carrier411: monitoring carriers vs verifying payees
Carrier411 is a long-running carrier monitoring service. It aggregates FMCSA data, logs the checks you make as proof of due diligence, and carries FreightGuard reports submitted by its broker users. Its founder built it after running a factoring company and having to check every carrier's compliance by hand each day.
CarrierKYC doesn't monitor a carrier list. It verifies who is onboarding and whose bank account you fund, and holds every payee change for re-verification. Monitoring watches the carrier's public record. Verified Payee checks the person and the account.
| CarrierKYC | Carrier411 | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Small US freight factoring companies | Mainly brokers; shippers and factors also subscribe |
| FMCSA authority, insurance and safety monitoring | Checked at onboarding; not a continuous monitoring feed | Yes, from 18 to 20 FMCSA data sources (company claim, 2019) |
| Verifies the applicant's identity | Yes: ID and selfie, matched to FMCSA officer records | Not published |
| Verifies bank-account ownership | Yes: account holder matched to the carrier's legal name | Not published |
| Re-verifies remit-to and bank changes | Yes, before the next ACH goes out | Not published |
| User-submitted reports | No | FreightGuard reports from broker users |
| Carrier accounts | Carriers complete the factor's verification link | Carriers can't hold accounts (company policy) |
| Pricing | Free 60-day pilot, then $399/mo with 20 onboardings; $25 per extra; re-verifications included | Not published on pages we could load |
| Best for | Factors who need to know who they are paying | Daily monitoring of a carrier list |
What Carrier411 does
In a 2019 FreightWaves profile, Carrier411 said it aggregates 18 to 20 FMCSA data sources, tracks over 1 million companies, ranks carriers on SMS BASIC scores and keeps a log of each check as evidence of due diligence. About 80% of its customers were brokers, about 10% shippers and manufacturers, and about 10% vertical markets including transportation factoring companies.
In a 2024 Freight Caviar interview, CEO Darren Brewer said he started Carrier411 after running a factoring company in 2004, where carriers' compliance had to be checked manually every day. He also said carriers aren't allowed accounts, so scammers can't use the service to watch their own MC numbers. FreightGuard reports are allegations submitted by broker users, and some carrier groups dispute how they are handled.
Monitoring watches the record, not the requester
When a fraudster takes over a clean carrier's email or phone, its authority, insurance and safety record don't change. A monitoring service will keep showing a healthy carrier, because the carrier is healthy; the person writing to you isn't the carrier. That is the account takeover pattern behind most fake bank-change requests.
Verified Payee checks the requester. A bank-change request triggers a re-verification sent to the officer verified at onboarding, and the payment waits until it passes.
Using both
A factor that already subscribes to Carrier411 for portfolio monitoring loses nothing by keeping it. Verified Payee adds the identity and bank-ownership checks that monitoring isn't designed to do. For one-off lookups, the free carrier risk check shows authority age, revocations, insurance and carriers that share a phone, email or address.
Frequently asked questions
Do factoring companies use Carrier411?
Some do. In 2019 Carrier411 told FreightWaves that about 10% of its customers were vertical markets such as transportation factoring companies and truck sales and leasing firms. Most of its customers are brokers.
How much does Carrier411 cost?
We couldn't confirm current pricing: Carrier411's site blocked our automated check on 2026-10-19, and third-party figures disagree. Ask Carrier411 for a quote.
Will monitoring catch a hijacked carrier?
Sometimes, if the hijack shows up in FMCSA data, for example as a changed phone, email or officer. When it happens through a compromised inbox or a fake bank-change email, there may be nothing in the public record to see. That's why the remit-change checklist relies on call-backs and ownership checks, not record lookups.
Sources
- 01FreightWaves: Carrier411 strives to protect brokers from unsafe carriers · FreightWaves, 2019-10-29
- 02Freight Caviar: Inside Carrier411, interview with CEO Darren Brewer · Freight Caviar, 2024-10-29
See something out of date?
Vendors change fast. If a fact about Carrier411 or CarrierKYC is wrong, tell me and I'll fix it and update the verified date.