If a broker owes you for a delivered load and will not pay, the $75,000 surety bond or trust fund is your recovery path. It is a paperwork process, not a phone call, and the carriers who recover are the ones who move first.
Step 1: identify what is on file
Look up the broker's MC number and confirm whether the bond or trust is still active. A broker can be revoked and still have a bond on file, which is the case where a claim is still worth filing. If there is no bond on file, skip to legal advice.
Step 2: assemble the claim packet
- Signed rate confirmation showing the broker's MC and the agreed rate
- Bill of lading and a delivery receipt signed by the receiver
- Your invoice, with invoice number and date
- Your collection history: emails, certified letters, call log with dates
Step 3: notify the surety in writing
Send the packet to the surety company named on the broker's filing (for a BMC-85 bond) or to the trust administrator (for a BMC-84 trust fund). Send it with tracking, and keep a copy. State the amount owed, the load details, and that you are filing a claim against the bond.
Step 4: expect to compete for the limit
The bond is $75,000 total, shared across every carrier the broker owes. Claims are generally paid in the order they are perfected, and if the total exceeds the bond, later claims collect pro rata or not at all. Filing in week two instead of month four is the difference between recovering and not.
Step 5: keep the parallel path open
Bond claims and civil claims are not mutually exclusive. Keep your records in order, and if the amount is large enough to justify it, talk to a transportation attorney about filing suit at the same time.
Prevention beats recovery
Every step above gets harder and slower than the two-minute check that would have prevented it. Confirm active authority and a bond on file before you dispatch, and set an alert so you find out when a broker's status changes rather than when the invoice goes past due.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. General information for carriers, not legal advice.