Every freight forwarder's website says verified, trusted, or licensed. Almost none of them say by whom, against what, or when. The good news is that the credentials that matter are public records you can check yourself in a few minutes — and knowing which ones to ask for is most of the work.
The short answer
Verification is not a badge, it is a set of checks. Six are worth doing before you hand over cargo: the transport licence (FMC for US ocean, FMCSA for US road brokerage, IATA for air), company registration, a tax identity (VAT or EORI), liability insurance and trading conditions, industry membership (FIATA, BIFA, or a national association), and two references on a comparable lane. Five of the six are free to verify from public registers. The sixth — references — is the one most people skip and the one that reveals the most.
The six credentials, and where to check each
1. The transport licence
Which licence applies depends on what they are actually doing for you:
- US ocean freight — an FMC Ocean Transportation Intermediary licence, held as an ocean freight forwarder, an NVOCC, or both. US-based OTIs must also post a surety bond. Licence numbers are searchable in the Federal Maritime Commission's public database: ask for the number and look it up rather than accepting a logo on a website.
- US domestic road — FMCSA property broker authority plus a $75,000 surety bond, searchable by MC number in FMCSA's public licensing and insurance records. If your provider is arranging trucking rather than carrying it, this is the licence that applies — see freight broker vs freight forwarder.
- Air freight — IATA accreditation, which allows an agent to issue air waybills and settle with airlines through CASS. Without it your air freight is being bought through a third party.
- EU and UK customs — AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) status signals audited customs and security procedures. It is optional, so its absence is not disqualifying, but its presence is meaningful.
2. Company registration
A registration number in the country they claim to operate from, matching the trading name on the quote. Most jurisdictions publish a free company register. A mismatch between the trading name, the registered entity, and the bank account on the invoice is the single most common pattern in freight payment fraud.
3. Tax identity
A VAT number in the EU/UK, an EORI number for anyone handling EU customs, or the local equivalent. EU VAT numbers can be validated free through the European Commission's VIES service.
4. Insurance and trading conditions
Two separate things, and both matter. Ask for their liability insurance certificate and for the trading conditions they contract under — FIATA or BIFA model terms, or their own. Read the liability cap and the claim notification deadline. Underlying carrier liability is capped by convention at roughly 666.67 SDR per package or 2 SDR per kg for sea and 22 SDR per kg for air, so neither the carrier's nor the forwarder's liability approaches the commercial value of most cargo. That is why separate cargo insurance exists.
5. Industry membership
FIATA membership through a national association, BIFA in the UK, or an equivalent national body means the company trades under recognised standard conditions and carries the cover those conditions require. Memberships are verifiable through the association — and worth verifying, because logos are easy to copy.
6. Two references on a comparable lane
The cheapest due diligence available and the most commonly skipped. Ask for two customers shipping something similar on a similar route. When you reach them, ask about the bad shipment rather than the good ones: what went wrong, how fast it was flagged, and whether the final invoice matched the quote. Everyone performs well on an easy booking.
What "verified" means on a directory — including ours
Directory badges vary enormously in what they actually attest, and it is fair to ask any directory the same question you would ask a forwarder. Some verify only that an email address works. Others check company registration. Few check licences.
To be straightforward about our own: a CargoLinked listing marked verified has been through document-based review, and most listings in the directory are unclaimed public profiles that no one has verified. That is why the checks above matter regardless of where you find a provider — a badge is a shortcut, not a substitute. Use the directory to build a shortlist by country, service and trade lane, then run the six checks on your final two or three.
Red flags that should end the conversation
- A quote far below everyone else's. Freight runs on thin margins; an outlier rate usually means charges appear later.
- No licence number, registration, or verifiable address.
- Payment to a personal account, or to a company in a different name than the one on the quote.
- Refusal to share trading conditions or an itemised quote.
- Guarantees no forwarder can make — a transit time promised to the day, or a rate locked against surcharges they do not control.
- A sudden change of bank details by email. Always confirm by phone on a number you already had.
Our fuller list is in red flags when vetting a freight forwarder.
A verification checklist you can work through
- Ask which licence they hold for this shipment, and get the number.
- Look the number up in the issuing authority's public register yourself.
- Match the trading name to a company registration and a tax identity.
- Request the liability insurance certificate and the trading conditions.
- Read the liability cap and the claim deadline. Decide whether you need separate cargo cover.
- Verify any association membership with the association.
- Speak to two references on a comparable lane, and ask about the shipment that went wrong.
- Confirm who the destination agent is and who clears customs — see the contingency questions.
Eight steps, most of them free, and together they eliminate essentially every provider worth avoiding. Start your shortlist in the freight forwarder directory, or post a freight request and run these checks on whoever responds.
