Software that manages the carriers a brokerage uses: sourcing them, verifying identity, authority and insurance, onboarding paperwork, monitoring compliance over time, and tracking performance and payment. It differs from a load board, which finds capacity, and from a TMS, which runs the load itself.

Vetting happens before you use a carrier — confirming they are real, authorised and insured. Monitoring is continuous: authority can be revoked, insurance can lapse, and safety records change. A carrier approved six months ago may not be compliant today.

Reported cargo theft and fraud rose sharply in 2025, with Verisk CargoNet recording around $725 million, up roughly 60% year over year. Deceptive pickups, where someone impersonates a legitimate carrier, have grown as a share of incidents.

Parts of it. Document extraction, cross-checking records, and monitoring for changes in authority, insurance and safety data can run without a person. The approval decision, the exception call and the relationship should not.

It depends on the vendor and which data sources are live. The question to ask is what is checked, from which source, how often it is re-checked, and who is notified when something changes.

At minimum: verified operating authority and insurance, a completed carrier packet with W-9 and agreement, confirmation that the person dealing with you is actually that carrier, and remittance details checked against the carrier’s records. Changes to banking details after onboarding deserve a second look.

Ask what is verified at onboarding and what is re-checked afterwards, and how often. Ask what happens when authority is revoked or insurance lapses, how banking changes are handled, which data sources are live today, whether you can see an audit trail for each carrier, and whether pricing is per user, per carrier or by volume.

Models vary: per user, per carrier, or by shipment volume. Per-user pricing rises as you hire; volume pricing tracks the freight you move. Polt is priced by monthly shipment volume, starting at $999 per month for up to 225 loads.