Montgomery v. Caribe — SCOTUS 9-0 — Brokers are now liable

Can you prove you checked
before you booked?

After Montgomery, every load you tender is a potential negligent-hiring claim. Broker-Aware gives you timestamped, documented carrier safety assessments — the evidence you need when the lawsuit arrives.

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The New Reality

On May 14, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that federal law does not shield freight brokers from state negligent-hiring lawsuits. The standard is now simple: did you check, and can you prove it?

"If brokers can be held liable for disregarding poor safety records, they have a strong incentive to do business only with safe and reliable motor carriers." Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, 9-0 (2026)

9-0

Unanimous SCOTUS ruling. No ambiguity.

$2.5M+

Average negligent-hiring settlement.

17,000+

US brokers now exposed to state liability.

The Broker-Aware Solution

One API call. Carrier safety assessment. Timestamped receipt. Done.

Broker-Aware documents every carrier vetting decision automatically. When opposing counsel asks "what did you know and when did you know it?" — you hand them the receipt.

Carrier Safety API

Query any USDOT. Get computed percentiles, alert status, violation history, and a risk assessment in one API call. Integrates with your TMS.

Vetting Receipts

Every query generates a timestamped, signed proof-of-check. Exportable as PDF. Litigation-ready documentation that proves reasonable care.

Continuous Monitoring

Webhook alerts when a carrier on your panel crosses a safety threshold. Know before the next load, not after the lawsuit.

Batch Processing

Vet your entire carrier panel in one call. Score hundreds of carriers overnight. Scale your compliance without scaling your team.

What Every API Response Includes

{
  "usdot": 9999999,
  "carrier_name": "Meridian Transport LLC",
  "assessment_timestamp": "2026-05-17T03:45:12Z",
  "percentiles": {
    "unsafe_driving": 78,
    "hos_compliance": 45,
    "vehicle_maintenance": 61,
    "controlled_substances": 12,
    "driver_fitness": 32
  },
  "alerts": ["unsafe_driving"],
  "risk_band": "elevated",
  "vetting_receipt_id": "vr_a8f3c2d1e4b5...",
  "receipt_signature": "sha256:9f86d08...",
  "methodology_version": "v3.20",
  "data_freshness": "2026-04-01"
}

Every response is a defensible record. Stored for 7 years. Exportable as PDF.

Pricing

Documented carrier vetting for less than one hour of legal counsel.

Starter

$199/mo

  • 10 unique carriers/mo
  • Vetting receipts
  • Webhook alerts
  • REST API
Subscribe — $199/mo
Recommended

Growth

$499/mo

  • 150 unique carriers/mo
  • Batch endpoint
  • Priority support
  • TMS integration help
Subscribe — $499/mo

Enterprise

$1,500/mo

+ $0.75/carrier over 2,000

  • 2,000 carriers included
  • SLA guarantee
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom integrations
Talk to Sales

We'll set up metered billing for your volume.

Average negligent-hiring settlement: $2.5M. Broker-Aware costs less than one hour of litigation defense.

Enterprise Pricing

Volume scales the math, not the math problem.

Enterprise pricing is graduated: $1,500/mo base covers 2,000 USDOTs, then $0.75 per additional unique carrier. Repeat checks of the same carrier in a billing cycle don't double-count.

Brokerage profile USDOTs vetted/mo Monthly Annual
Mid-market ~5,000 $3,750 $45,000
Large brokerage ~20,000 $15,000 $180,000
Enterprise ~50,000+ $37,500 $450,000

At 50K loads/mo

~5

fatal accidents per month at industry-average rates

Pre-Montgomery

Capped

by federal preemption — no longer applies

Post-Montgomery

$1.5M+

annual expected exposure at 1% conversion

At $0.75 per documented carrier check, Broker-Aware Enterprise costs less than 1% of an average load's gross margin — and replaces seven-figure litigation exposure with a fixed, predictable line item.

Start documenting every vetting decision.

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