Carrier411 and the Quiet Control of Market Access in Trucking

Jan 8
3 min read

Updated: Jan 11

For years, truck drivers and small carriers have shared the same experience in private conversations and industry forums: one day they are booking loads without issue, and the next day freight access suddenly disappears across multiple brokers at once. No explanation. No warning. No appeal.

At the center of these stories is a private, broker-only platform known as Carrier411.

What Carrier411 Is and How It Is Used

Carrier411 is a subscription-based database accessible almost exclusively to freight brokers. It allows brokers to post “FreightGuard” reports about motor carriers, alleging conduct such as service failures, unethical practices, or fraud.

While brokers often describe Carrier411 as a safety or vetting tool, its real-world function goes far beyond information sharing. In practice, many brokers rely on Carrier411 as a gatekeeping mechanism to determine whether a carrier will be offered freight at all.

Carriers do not receive equal access to the platform. They do not participate in neutral investigations. They do not benefit from independent verification of allegations. And once a negative FreightGuard is posted, carriers frequently report immediate and widespread denial of loads across multiple, unrelated brokerage firms.

The Absence of Due Process

A defining feature of Carrier411 is the lack of meaningful procedural safeguards:

Allegations are posted without independent fact-checking
Only the reporting broker may remove a FreightGuard
Carriers cannot compel review or arbitration
A single report can influence dozens or hundreds of brokers simultaneously

This structure creates an environment where economic punishment can be imposed without transparency, accountability, or oversight.

What the Courts Are Already Documenting

This issue is no longer theoretical. Federal court filings across multiple jurisdictions have documented the market impact of Carrier411-based exclusion.

In Greenline Express Transportation, Inc. v. High Plains Logistics Consulting, LLC, the carrier alleged that false FreightGuard reports resulted in immediate blacklisting, lost business exceeding $250,000, and reputational harm due to broker reliance on Carrier411.

In Silkroad Tranz, Inc. v. Payne Trucking Co., court pleadings describe how a single FreightGuard led to canceled loads within hours, “Do Not Use” designations, idle trucks, and alleged damages exceeding $1.2 million. Brokers explicitly cited Carrier411 status as the reason for refusing business.

In a separate action, Plentitude Transportation, Inc. v. Carrier411 Services, Inc., the platform itself was named as a defendant, underscoring that Carrier411 is not merely a passive forum, but a central actor in determining market access.

Across these cases, one pattern is consistent: once flagged, carriers are excluded broadly and rapidly, regardless of whether allegations are disputed or later shown to be false.

A Market Structure Problem, Not a Review Problem

The concern raised by the Federation of Professional Truckers (FOPT) is not about negative reviews or accountability for bad actors. Every industry requires mechanisms to identify legitimate safety or compliance risks.

The concern is market structure.

When multiple competitors rely on the same private system to exclude participants from a national market, and when that system lacks transparency, neutrality, and due process, the result is not merely reputational harm. It is coordinated exclusion.

In antitrust terms, this raises serious questions about concerted refusal to deal, group boycotts, and unfair methods of competition.

Formal Filings and Regulatory Review

Because of the systemic nature of these concerns, FOPT has formally submitted complaints to:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding broker practices that undermine regulatory intent and transparency
The Department of Justice Antitrust Division regarding coordinated exclusion and market access
The Federal Trade Commission regarding unfair methods of competition
State authorities regarding economic harm to in-state carriers

These filings are supported by publicly available court records and documented industry patterns.

Why This Matters to the Industry

Trucking is not a closed club. It is a federally regulated, interstate market that moves essential goods across the country. No private company should quietly control access to that market without oversight.

When carriers fear speaking up, asking questions, or asserting their rights because of the risk of being blacklisted, the result is a chilling effect that distorts competition and suppresses transparency.

Sunlight matters. Process matters. Markets only function when access is governed by rules, not by opaque systems operating behind closed doors.

The Federation of Professional Truckers will continue to advocate for fair competition, regulatory integrity, and a trucking industry where access to freight is determined by lawful conduct, not silent exclusion.