Avoiding Fraud: Best Practices for Shippers

At Central Dispatch, our biggest priority is your security. We’re continually working to ensure that our marketplace is the safest place to connect with the right partners to transport vehicles online, and part of that is making sure our shippers know how to identify and avoid any fraudulent accounts. 

As we continually work to vet carriers, ensure only shippers can post loads, and suspend users who do not abide by our terms, there are some easy steps you can take to avoid fraud and use our marketplace with complete confidence. 

Best practices for shippers:

Best practices for shippers: 

• Sharing your Central Dispatch log in information can lead to unauthorized access and security breaches. Eliminate risk and secure your account with the User Management system, which gives each person in your organization their own username and password. Select the right user type to control access to sensitive data. 
• Make sure your current email address and phone number are both linked to your owner account, so you can use our 2-step login process. It’s the best way to protect against unverified logins. Your phone number is the preferred verification method. 
• To protect your security, all user accounts designated as Owners are locked and cannot be deleted or edited by any other user, including other Owners. Business owners can contact Client Care to make edits to Owner accounts. 
• Always use the Price Check tool to ensure you’re getting a fair market rate. 
• Always check a carrier’s FMCSA details, Transactional Ratings and insurance using the provided details listed in their profile before dispatching to a carrier. 
• For a quick look at every carrier’s latest authorization details, view their FMCSA Checklist, visible on every company profile. 
• Ask the carrier to send you a current copy of their certificate of insurance, and/or request to be added as a certificate holder. 
• Verify the carrier’s operating authority via the DOT SAFER system. Note: The DOT authority is applicable for in-state transportation where they are licensed.  
• Never dispatch interstate loads with carriers who don’t have valid MC Authority, as confirmed in the DOT SAFER database. 
• The auto-transport industry is facing an increase in fraud involving phone calls, emails, and texts. Always be cautious of outreach asking you for account or personal information or requesting that you access unknown links or files. Contact us to report any suspicious activity. 
• Always complete the dispatch process on the Central Dispatch platform. Transactions made over the phone or otherwise outside our platform create more uncertainty, and higher potential for conflicts between the two parties. Communicate within the Central Dispatch platform whenever possible to avoid conflicts and security risks.  
• Encourage all your carrying partners to use the Central Dispatch carriers mobile app, and enable the use of Real-Time Tracking. 
• At the end of each job, be sure to rate and review your carrier. It’s the easiest way for shippers to identify bad actors, and help other users avoid problems. Now, you can choose when your review is published – ensuring you provide honest feedback and contribute to a more transparent marketplace.

We welcome feedback from our users. Please reach out to us with any concerns or suggestions, so we can work to continually roll out new security features and policies that help make the Central Dispatch marketplace a safe place to operate for everyone. 

Shippers and carriers are responsible for determining what partners they want to do business with and validating any credentials. Central Dispatch is not a party to any agreements.