A new industry framework released by Carrier Assure founder and CEO Cassandra Gaines provides brokers, shippers, and freight forwarders with a practical benchmark for evaluating motor carrier selection processes — a critical need as legal scrutiny and fraud risks intensify.
Gaines unveiled The CAVRA Standard, a 54-page guide built around four principles — carrier assessment, verification, risk and accountability — during a webinar attended by more than 800 transportation professionals and formally released it Wednesday, according to a FreightWaves report. The standard was developed in response to growing uncertainty following recent court decisions that have intensified scrutiny of carrier-selection practices.
"Since the Supreme Court ruling on the Montgomery case, the industry has been stressed out," Gaines said in a LinkedIn post. "They all want to know what is a reasonable, defensible standard for selecting a motor carrier."
The framework is intended as a practical benchmark, not a rigid checklist. Gaines describes it as a tool transportation companies can use to compare against existing carrier-vetting programs or as a foundation for creating their own policies, according to the source.
Moving beyond authority and insurance
Modern carrier vetting requires more than simply confirming a carrier's operating authority and insurance coverage, according to The CAVRA Standard. A reasonable carrier-selection process should also consider factors such as safety data, roadside inspection history, fraud indicators, identity verification, double-brokering risks, shipment suitability, and operational red flags.
"The question is not whether every decision was perfect," Gaines wrote in the framework. "The question is whether the decision was reasonable based on the information available at the time."
The standard establishes nine core principles for carrier vetting:
| Core Principle | Description |
|---|---|
| Continuous monitoring | Ongoing review of carrier performance and risk indicators |
| Documentation of exceptions | Recording and justifying any deviations from standard vetting |
| Identity verification | Confirming the legal identity of the carrier entity |
| Double brokering prevention | Controls to detect unauthorized freight brokering |
| Fraud detection | Indicators and checks to identify fraudulent carriers |
| Minimum authority history | Requiring a track record of operating authority |
| Insurance verification | Confirming adequate and valid insurance coverage |
| Safety rating and inspection review | Reviewing DOT safety ratings and roadside inspection results |
| Escalation procedures | Steps to handle carriers presenting elevated risk |
Designed as an industry resource
Gaines intentionally made the framework publicly available rather than positioning it as a proprietary product, according to the report. A transportation attorney, expert witness, and risk management adviser, Gaines said her experience working with brokers, carriers, shippers, insurers, and law firms convinced her the industry needed a shared resource for carrier selection.
"I don't believe that a good transportation provider should be in the dark on how to select a motor carrier in a defensible and reasonable manner," Gaines said. "An industry standard shouldn't belong to a big association or shouldn't belong to the carriers or the brokers or the plaintiff attorneys or defense attorneys."
The document includes an example carrier-vetting policy that companies can adapt to their own operations, though Gaines stresses that organizations should review any policy with legal counsel and tailor it to their specific risk profiles and freight networks.
Addressing a changing risk environment
The release of The CAVRA Standard comes as transportation companies face increasing challenges from cargo theft, fraud, double brokering, and litigation involving motor carrier selection. Gaines emphasized that carrier vetting should be viewed as a risk-management exercise, not a search for perfection, and that companies should focus on making reasonable, well-documented decisions based on information available at the time.
For freight forwarders, logistics managers, and 3PL operators, the framework provides a ready-to-use template to strengthen carrier selection protocols and demonstrate due diligence in the event of legal challenges. The emphasis on documentation and continuous monitoring offers a pathway to reduce liability exposure while improving overall carrier quality.
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