Procurement Risk Briefing · #1

Carrier vetting is about to get regulated — and refund money may be on the table

Week of June 12, 2026 · 3 items · 4-minute read

1. Brokers are pushing FMCSA to publish a "high-risk motor carriers" list

Industry brokers are formally asking FMCSA to publish a list of high-risk motor carriers. If FMCSA moves, carrier risk data that today requires assembling safety ratings, out-of-service rates, and crash history from raw federal records would get an official, citable government label.

So what: when a federal "high-risk" list exists, "we didn't know" stops being a defense in carrier selection. Mid-market shippers should be vetting carriers against FMCSA data now, before it's mandatory hygiene. (You can check any carrier free in 10 seconds with our carrier risk check.)

2. Post-Montgomery, carrier-selection liability rules are taking shape

The Transportation Intermediaries Association is asking FMCSA for guidance on what counts as an "approved" carrier following the Montgomery decision. Translation: the rules for who bears liability when a selected carrier causes harm are being written right now, and trade groups are lobbying for the definitions.

So what: whatever standard emerges will define the documentation you need when a carrier in your network has an incident. Teams that keep a dated record of carrier vetting (authority status, safety rating, OOS rates at time of selection) will be on the right side of it. Teams that vet by rate sheet alone won't.

3. Tariff refund eligibility may expand — recovered spend for the taking

Trade press reports that tariff refunds may soon cover more import entries. For companies that paid elevated duties over the past several years, expanded eligibility means real money back — but refund windows close, and entry-by-entry eligibility takes work to establish.

So what: ask your customs broker this week which of your entries could qualify under expanded eligibility, and what the filing deadline is. This is found money with a clock on it. Verify specifics against official CBP guidance — deadlines in trade press reporting shift.