desk tool · COI check
verify a certificate of insurance.
A COI is a claim to verify — not the FMCSA filing. Match named insured to the legal person, then confirm BMC filings on Licensing & Insurance.
what this check is for
Brokers get COIs by email every day. Some are current. Some name the wrong insured. Some disagree with the insurer on Licensing & Insurance. This page is the desk sequence for reading a certificate before you cover — and the path to upload one on Verifreta Desk for a structured compare.
COI parsing on Desk compares named insured, limits, and policy dates against the carrier you already looked up. It does not create a BMC filing. Pending cancellations still live on L&I.
desk sequence
- Look up the USDOT or MC. Match legal name to the rate con.
- Open L&I — Active property authority, BOC-3, required BMC-91/91X (or trust in lieu).
- Read the COI: named insured, dates, BI&PD limits, producer, insurer.
- Sign in and upload the COI on Desk to catch name/limit/date mismatches early.
- If COI and L&I disagree, believe L&I. Fix the file or do not cover.
desk checklist
- Named insured matches FMCSA legal person (Inc vs LLC included).
- USDOT / MC on the certificate (if present) match the thread and L&I.
- Policy dates cover pickup through delivery.
- BI&PD limits meet the 49 CFR 387.9 row for this commodity — cargo asked separately when needed.
- L&I insurer and cancellation status checked the same day as the PDF.
worked desk: right limits, wrong insured
Email COI shows $1,000,000 BI&PD, dates that cover the week, producer stamp looks real. Named insured: River Bend Logistics Inc. Rate con and L&I: River Bend Logistics LLC, same DOT typed in the footer.
You do not have a name match. Inc and LLC are different legal persons. Do not cover on the PDF. Get a certificate that names the LLC on the docket, or stop.
common COI failures
- Named insured is a near-name, holding company, or dispatch service — not the motor carrier.
- Certificate expires before pickup.
- BI&PD treated as cargo coverage.
- Covering on the PDF without opening L&I.
- Insurer on the COI does not match the BMC filing on L&I.
fail closed
- Named insured is not the motor carrier on the rate con / L&I.
- L&I missing required BMC filing or cancellation effective before pickup.
- COI expires before the load moves.
- Covering on COI alone without L&I.
why use Desk for COIs
Free tools handle the DOT/MC first look. Desk adds COI upload against the carrier on file, team history, and monitoring so the next dispatch is not another forwarded PDF. 7-day free trial · then $49/mo.