Refresh of the 15-point broker check: verify MC authority, match the desk to the corridor, and know when a Texas or California shipper should skip the broker and use a carrier or 3PL instead.
By UniteCargo Team • Updated August 15, 2026 • 10 min read
A freight broker is a licensed desk, not a truck and not a warehouse. The first useful question is not “who is the best broker.” It is whether you need a broker at all. As of August 15, 2026, UNITECARGO lists 11 active freight-broker profiles in Texas and 6 in California. Use those pages when the job is capacity. Use a 3PL page when the product still has to sit or get picked.
When to use a broker, a carrier, or a 3PL
| When this is the job | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spot truckload, LTL overflow, or mixed equipment | Freight broker | You need a licensed MC broker-of-property desk to source carriers. |
| A repeat lane with known equipment and volume | Carrier | Direct USDOT/MC identity and equipment cut the extra party out. |
| Inventory, fulfillment, or a standing outbound program | 3PL | The constraint is the building and cutoff, not the next available truck. |
Compare Texas desks on the Texas freight brokers page. Compare California desks on the California freight brokers page. Both tables now show MC, DOT, FMC, and CBP in separate columns.
The 15-point check
Authority and identity (points 1–4)
- Match the legal name and MC number to current FMCSA Licensing and Insurance. Directory status is not authority.
- Confirm active broker-of-property authority the week you tender, not the week you shortlisted.
- Confirm bond or trust status. A lapsed $75,000 surety bond is a hard stop.
- Separate identities. Some companies also hold carrier, forwarder, or 3PL records. Confirm which entity is on the load confirmation.
Lane and cargo fit (points 5–8)
- Name the corridor. A Houston drayage desk is not a DFW intermodal desk. A San Pedro Bay desk is not an Oakland produce desk.
- Match equipment and commodity — dry van, reefer, flatbed, hazmat, or project — to a documented specialty.
- Send every desk the same facts: origin, destination, dates, weight, dimensions, commodity, equipment, appointments, and accessorials.
- Ask who holds the carrier contract and who pays the carrier.
Operations and risk (points 9–12)
- Tracking and exception cadence. Ask who calls you when a pickup is missed.
- Claims path. Get the cargo-insurance limit and the claims contact in writing.
- Detention and accessorial rules before the first live load.
- References for the same corridor and commodity, not a generic national claim.
Commercial terms (points 13–15)
- Complete fee schedule, including fuel, minimums, and layover.
- Payment terms to the carrier and whether you will be asked to pay twice if the broker fails.
- Record freshness. Prefer a profile reviewed this quarter over an undated website claim.
Texas and California rules that change the shortlist
In Texas, start with Port Houston, DFW/Alliance, I-10, and I-35. Confirm whether the desk actually covers drayage, intermodal, or only dry-van highway. In California, start with Los Angeles–Long Beach, Oakland, I-5, I-10, and I-710. Ask about chassis, terminal appointments, and whether the same company is also a forwarder.
Related reading: LTL vs FTL and the Texas 3PL comparison.