RDS uses Bluewire, a safety analytics platform used by insurers to evaluate carrier risk, and Highway to help assess risk. Sanders said companies need a well-documented policy. “You vet it with your insurance company and your attorney, and you train your associates to be very con- sistent,” Sanders said. “If there are going to be any overrides, it bubbles up to your management.” Carrier evaluation may also need to become more frequent. Historically, a broker might vet a carrier during onboarding, but Sanders said today’s environ- ment requires ongoing evaluations. “The original vetting is step one, but at the time of dispatch, you also have to re-vet the carrier to make sure everything is in place,” he said. Tools can help verify whether a driver picking up a load has a valid commercial driver license and proper insurance, but Sanders said brokers lack the level of driver-specific visibility available to asset-based carriers. “As a broker, we don’t hire drivers,” Sanders said. “All we do is select carriers, and we use the best infor- mation we have to make sure that carrier is safe to operate.” That driver-level gap is not lost on major ship- pers. Doug Cantriel, head of North American trans- portation and modernization for Ford Motor Co., said he asked his transportation partners what they are doing since the ruling and found that vetting is increasing. “They’re actually getting down to the driver level as they look at this,” he said. “There is a cognizant approach to how deep they’re going to make sure they’re vetting these drivers at a deeper level than they ever have before.” The ability to vet drivers is one of the key differences between asset-based and brokered transportation. John Pemberton, CEO of Pemberton Truck Lines, said asset-based carriers have a different level of visi- bility and control. “With asset-based operations, we’re in charge of the entire transportation process,” he said. “They are our trucks, our drivers, we’re the ones that qual- ify the drivers, and we can track visibility on the shipment 24/7.” Pemberton expects shippers to increasingly favor carriers that can demonstrate safety and not just a clean record. “I think shippers are going to rely more heavily on carriers that have a deep culture of operational and accountability excellence,” he said. “It boils down to the accountability a carrier takes for the drivers they partner with.” The ruling could push shippers to look more closely at asset-based carriers or brokers that also operate an asset-based business, which can signal accountability. Asset-based providers may benefit Kenneth Johnson, executive chairman of Leonard’s Express, which operates both asset-based and broker- age divisions, said several customers that previously allowed the company to broker their freight have since requested asset-only service. Others have structured agreements that set a baseline percentage on company trucks with brokerage filling surge capacity. “I think in certain circumstances it can be an ad- vantage,” Johnson said of having asset and brokerage operations. Deen Albert, vice president of operations for Grand Island Express, said the ruling is pushing shippers to place greater emphasis on defined standards and rep- utable partners. “The decision is pushing shippers to look to more reputable solutions than they have in the past and look to see where standards have been put in place,” he said.
ciation also supports stronger safety oversight, better data and more effective enforcement. “Litigation after a crash does not prevent unsafe carriers from operating. Better federal data and en- forcement can,” Burroughs said. Tools and data fill the gaps Brokers are typically left to evaluate insurance, au- thority status, inspection history, compliance infor- mation and their past experiences with a carrier. Many are also turning to outside technology tools.
sess carriers more deeply than regulators. “[The question is] how we’re expected to know more about carriers than the government that licenses and over- sees about 400,000 of them,” he said. TIA’s Burroughs said brokers cannot replace FMCSA’s role in ensuring carrier safety. “Brokers do not inspect equipment, hire drivers, supervise training or manage carrier operations,” he explained. TIA has asked FMCSA to clarify which standards brokers should use when selecting carriers. The asso-
For those of us in the industry who take risk seriously, nothing really is going to change. For me, it is interesting and maybe a little bit alarming that people think this is a new issue.” Jeff Tucker , CEO of Tucker Company Worldwide “
Transport Topics • July 2026, Issue 1 15
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