When FMCSA revokes a broker's operating authority, the broker loses the legal right to arrange freight. It does not mean the phone stopped ringing, the website went down, or the dispatcher stopped posting loads. Plenty of revoked brokers keep offering freight, and carriers keep hauling it because nobody checked the status that morning.
Why authority gets revoked
The most common reasons are a lapsed surety bond or trust fund, failure to maintain the required insurance filings, or an administrative action by FMCSA. A broker whose bond lapses loses authority automatically, even if the underlying business is otherwise fine.
Bonded-revoked versus bare-revoked
This distinction decides whether you have any recovery path at all.
- Revoked, bond still on file — the authority is gone but the $75,000 bond or trust fund is still in place. If you are already owed money from before the revocation, you may still be able to file a claim.
- Revoked, no bond on file — there is no bond to claim against. Recovery usually means civil litigation against a company that may not have assets.
Neither case is one where you should accept a new load.
How status changes without warning
Authority status is not static. A broker can be active when you quote the load on Monday and revoked by the time you deliver on Thursday. That is why the check belongs immediately before dispatch, and why alerting matters more than a one-time lookup.
The practical rule
If the authority is not active today, do not haul today. And if you are carrying a receivable from a broker whose status just changed, pull your paperwork together the same week rather than waiting for the payment terms to run out.
Look up a broker's current status
Reviewed October 28, 2026. General information for carriers, not legal advice.