Approved Carrier List — Why Your Spreadsheet Isn't Enough Anymore

Every freight broker has an approved carrier list. The question is where it lives and what it does.

For most brokers, the answer is "a spreadsheet" and "nothing." A static list of carrier names and MC numbers in an Excel file, a Google Sheet, or a tab in their TMS. It doesn't track when carriers were last vetted. It doesn't alert when authority lapses or insurance expires. It doesn't flag when a carrier's safety record deteriorates. It sits there, unchanged, until someone remembers to update it.

This is how brokers end up using carriers they approved two years ago without realizing the carrier's authority was revoked six months ago.

The Problem With Static Carrier Lists

A carrier you vetted 90 days ago may not be the same carrier today. In the freight industry, things change fast:

• Authority revocations happen weekly — FMCSA revoked over 10,000 carrier authorities in the first half of 2024
• Insurance policies can lapse between renewal periods with no automatic notification to brokers
• Safety ratings change when FMCSA conducts compliance reviews — a Satisfactory carrier can become Conditional or Unsatisfactory
• OOS rates fluctuate as new inspections are recorded
• Ownership changes occur when carriers are sold, merged, or restructured — different people may now be running the operation you originally vetted

A spreadsheet captures a snapshot of a carrier at the moment you added them. It doesn't capture any changes that happen after that moment. The longer the list goes without review, the more outdated — and dangerous — it becomes.

What Shippers Expect

Increasingly, shippers are requiring their brokers to demonstrate active carrier management — not just "we have a list." During onboarding, RFPs, and annual reviews, shippers ask:

• "How do you vet your carriers?"
• "How often do you re-vet?"
• "Show me your approved carrier list with vetting dates."
• "What happens when a carrier's status changes?"

A spreadsheet with no dates, no re-vetting schedule, and no change tracking doesn't answer these questions convincingly.

What Happens After an Incident

When cargo is damaged, stolen, or involved in an accident, the first thing that gets scrutinized is the broker's carrier vetting process. Did you vet this carrier? When? What did you check? How recent was your last review?

If your answer is "we checked them when we first added them to our spreadsheet 18 months ago," that's a liability problem. Documented, timestamped re-vetting is your defense.

How the CarrierBrief Approved List Works

The Approved Carrier List replaces your spreadsheet with a managed carrier portfolio that tracks vetting status automatically.

Adding Carriers

One at a time: Search for a carrier by name, MC, or DOT number directly from the approved list page. Click to add.

From carrier profiles: Every carrier profile on CarrierBrief has a green "Approve" button. Vet a carrier using the Vet tool, review their profile, and click Approve — they're on your list with a timestamp.

Bulk import — paste DOT numbers: Click "Bulk Add" and paste up to 200 DOT numbers. The system looks up each carrier automatically and adds them to your list. Results show in real-time: Added, Already in list, or Not found.

Bulk import — CSV upload: Upload a CSV file with DOT numbers. The system parses the file, skips the header row, and processes each DOT number.

For brokers migrating from a spreadsheet, the bulk import means you can transfer your entire approved carrier list in under a minute.

Re-Vetting Tracking

Every carrier on your approved list has a re-vetting timer. The default interval is 90 days — the industry standard for carrier re-qualification.

The list shows three states for each carrier:

Current — Last vetted within the re-vet interval. No action needed. The carrier is in good standing on your list.

Expiring Soon — Within 14 days of the re-vet date. An amber "Expiring soon" badge appears on the carrier. Time to schedule a review.

Needs Re-Vetting — The re-vet interval has passed. A red "Re-vet needed" badge appears. Click the re-vet link to go directly to the Vet tool pre-loaded with their DOT number.

You can filter your entire list by status: All, Expiring, or Expired. This gives you a daily action list — which carriers need attention today.

Re-Vetting in One Click

Each carrier in your list has a direct link to the Vet tool. Click it, and you're on the vet page with their DOT number pre-loaded. Review the current trust score, check for any changes since your last review, and you're done. The re-vet date updates automatically.

This turns a 15-minute process (open SAFER, look up carrier, cross-reference data, update spreadsheet) into a 30-second process (click re-vet link, review score, done).

Export

Click "Export CSV" to download your complete approved carrier list with:

• DOT number
• Legal name
• Approval status
• Date added
• Last vetted date
• Notes
• Tags

Use the export for shipper audits, compliance documentation, TMS import, or backup.

Stats Dashboard

The top of your approved list shows three key metrics:

• Total Approved — How many carriers are on your list
• Expiring Soon — How many are within 14 days of re-vet date
• Needs Re-Vetting — How many are past due

These numbers tell you immediately whether your carrier portfolio needs attention.

The Workflow

Here's how the approved list fits into a broker's daily routine:

Morning Check (2 minutes)

Open your Approved Carrier List. Check the "Expiring" and "Expired" counts. If any carriers need re-vetting, click through to the Vet tool and review their current scores. Update your list.

During the Day (per carrier)

When you book a new carrier, vet them using the Vet tool. If they pass, click "Approve" on their carrier profile. They're added to your list with today's date.

Weekly (5 minutes)

Export your approved carrier list as CSV. Archive it in your compliance folder. This creates a weekly snapshot of your vetted carrier portfolio — documentation that proves active management.

When a Shipper Asks

"Show me your approved carrier list with vetting dates." Export the CSV. Every carrier has a documented approval date and last-vetted date. No scrambling to reconstruct your vetting history.

Why This Creates Switching Costs

Once a broker builds their approved carrier list on CarrierBrief with 50, 100, or 200+ carriers — each with approval dates, re-vet schedules, notes, and tags — that data becomes their system of record.

Recreating that list in a spreadsheet means losing the automated re-vet tracking. Moving to a competitor means re-importing everything and losing the vetting history. The approved carrier list is the feature that turns CarrierBrief from a tool you visit occasionally into a platform you use daily.

This is intentional. The best products become indispensable not through lock-in, but through value. The approved carrier list provides value that a spreadsheet can't — automated re-vet tracking, one-click re-vetting, bulk import, and export. That value is why brokers stay.

Getting Started

If You're Starting Fresh

1. Visit carrierbrief.com/approved-list
2. Sign in with Google
3. Search for your first carrier and add them
4. Use the Vet tool to assess each carrier before approving

If You're Migrating From a Spreadsheet

1. Export your current carrier list — you just need the DOT numbers
2. Visit carrierbrief.com/approved-list and sign in
3. Click "Bulk Add"
4. Paste your DOT numbers (one per line or comma-separated)
5. The system looks up each carrier and adds them automatically

For most brokers, migration takes under 2 minutes regardless of list size.

Related Tools

The approved carrier list works with CarrierBrief's other broker tools:

• [Instant Vet](/vet) — Assess carriers before adding them to your list. The "Approve" button is on every carrier profile.
• [Network & Fraud Detection](/tools/chameleon-detector) — Deep investigation for carriers that show red flags during vetting.
• [Double Broker Risk Check](/tools/double-broker-check) — Check for dual authority and double brokering indicators.
• [Vetting Report PDF](/blog/instant-carrier-vetting-tool) — Generate a branded PDF report for any carrier in your approved list.

Try It Now

Visit carrierbrief.com/approved-list and build your approved carrier list. It's the last spreadsheet you'll ever need for carrier management.