Carrier Packet Checklist: Documents to Prepare for Brokers

What is a carrier packet?

A carrier packet is the information and paperwork a broker or customer requests to set up a carrier for business. It can be an online onboarding process, a set of forms or a combination of both. The receiving company decides what it needs and whether to approve the carrier.

As one example, C.H. Robinson’s carrier setup page asks for an active carrier identifier, an electronic W-9 and proof of insurance. Treat a broker’s published list as its own onboarding requirements. It is not a universal government checklist or a promise that every broker will accept the same packet.

Prepare these document groups

Start with the broker’s current instructions. Use the following list to locate information before opening its application, then check off only the requests that apply.

• Business identity: legal name, any trade name, business address, contact details and applicable carrier identifiers.
• Tax information: the requested tax form completed for the correct business. For U.S. requests, review the IRS W-9 instructions.
• Insurance: current proof of coverage and any certificate instructions supplied by the broker. Have your insurer resolve coverage or certificate questions.
• Broker forms: the agreement and onboarding forms provided by that company. Review the terms before signing and keep your accepted copy.
• Equipment and service details: the equipment you can offer, operating area and the contact who can answer load questions.
• Payment setup: the requested remittance details and, where applicable, factoring instructions or supporting notices. Confirm these through the recipient’s approved process.

Check the packet before submitting it

Compare the business name and contact information across the documents. Where tax-form naming rules differ, follow the form’s instructions and clarify the difference with the requester. Resolve unclear scans, missing pages and outdated certificates before the recipient has to ask again.

Send only the requested records through a verified recipient or portal. Tax identifiers and payment details belong in that exchange; they should not appear in a public load listing. Driver medical and employment files are not a standard attachment to every broker packet.

• Confirm the recipient and the current document list.
• Check names, dates, signatures, legibility and completeness.
• Ask the insurer to address certificate requirements.
• Record the submission date, contact and outstanding questions.
• Keep the approval or request for corrections with the submitted version.

Keep packet approval separate from a load booking

Carrier setup establishes the business relationship. A specific load still needs its own agreed details and instructions. Put the rate confirmation and shipment paperwork with that load, then retain delivery proof and the invoice when the work is completed.

If you are leased onto another carrier, confirm who handles broker setup and which carrier identity should appear. Do not assume the owner of the truck should submit an independent packet for freight being hauled under the carrier’s arrangement.

A reusable packet preparation routine

Keep a current working set of requested business documents and a separate record of what each customer received. When a certificate or contact changes, review which customers need an update. An old email attachment is a poor source for your next packet.

The free download is a preparation checklist, not a completed broker agreement or tax form. TBOS can hold applicable company records and load paperwork; you still complete and submit the broker’s forms through its process. Once setup is confirmed, use the public loadboard to look for work and contact the listing poster about availability and terms.