You hauled the load. The proof of delivery is clean. And the broker has gone quiet — calls roll to voicemail, emails bounce or get ignored, and the promised "net 30" is now net 90 and counting.
Here's the short answer: a carrier owed by a broker has more leverage than most realize — the paperwork you already hold, a federal bond the broker is required to carry, and collection pressure that doesn't depend on the broker's goodwill. But every one of those tools weakens with time, so the worst move is waiting another billing cycle.
Why brokers don't pay
Knowing the reason shapes the pursuit:
- Cash-flow squeeze. The broker got paid by the shipper and used your money to float other loads. Common, and collectible — the money exists; it's a priority problem.
- Double-brokering. Your load was re-brokered without authority, and now everyone points at everyone else. The paper trail decides who owes you.
- Dispute games. A vague "claim" on the freight or a paperwork technicality used to stall. Weeks pass, then months.
- The fold-up. The broker quietly winds down, stops answering, and a suspiciously similar operation opens under a new MC number. (If this is your situation, read our guide on collecting from a broker that went out of business.)
Step 1 — Lock down the file
Freight debt is some of the most provable commercial debt there is. Assemble, in one place:
- The rate confirmation (signed, with the broker's MC number)
- The bill of lading and proof of delivery
- Invoices and any accessorial documentation (detention, layover, lumper receipts)
- Every email and text about payment — promises, excuses, and silence all matter
Step 2 — Send a real demand, on a real deadline
Not another polite reminder. A dated demand stating the amount, the supporting documents, and the specific date you escalate. Brokers triage payables by consequence — a carrier with organized paper and a deadline moves up the stack.
Step 3 — Know about the broker's bond
Federally licensed property brokers are required to maintain $75,000 in surety bond or trust coverage (the BMC-84 or BMC-85 on file with the FMCSA). Unpaid carriers can present claims against it.
Two things matter here:
- The bond is small and first-come-first-served in practice. $75,000 doesn't go far when a broker collapses owing dozens of carriers. Late claimants can find it exhausted.
- A bond claim is leverage even when you don't collect from it. Bond claims threaten the broker's authority and its relationship with its surety — which is often what finally produces a check.
Step 4 — Mind the clock
Beyond the practical decay of every aging receivable, interstate carriers generally face a federal 18-month window to bring a civil action to recover unpaid freight charges — far shorter than the four-year window most commercial debt gets under state law. The specifics depend on the facts, so confirm deadlines with counsel — but do not assume you have years. You may not.
Step 5 — Escalate before the trail goes cold
If the demand deadline passes, hand it off. A trucking collection agency pursues what a busy carrier can't: skip tracing the principals, locating the successor entity, pressing the bond and the surety, and putting the file in front of the party who has to pay — on contingency, so it costs nothing unless it recovers.
The pattern we see over and over: carriers wait four, five, six months out of loyalty to a "good broker relationship." The brokers who intend to pay, pay. The ones who don't are counting on your patience.
Owed by a broker who's gone quiet? Get a free case review — no recovery, no fee. This article is general information, not legal advice; confirm deadlines and remedies for your specific situation with licensed counsel.
General information for commercial creditors, not legal advice. Laws and deadlines change and depend on the facts — confirm specifics with qualified counsel.