Getting your carriers onboarded is simple once your setup is in place. Here's everything you need to know to configure your onboarding package and start inviting carriers.
Navigate to Settings and select Onboard Carrier Setup. This is where you'll configure everything carriers will see and complete during the onboarding process.
The first section is your contract to be signed. Before uploading, you'll need to confirm which signature method you want to use:
Once you've confirmed your preference, upload your contract and you're all set.
To add documents in the future, click Add New at any time and either upload a PDF or enter text directly in the document editor.
This section lets you request additional documentation from carriers that isn't built into the standard onboarding flow—things like a W9 or a custom survey.
Note: If a document is marked Required, the carrier cannot move forward in onboarding until it's uploaded. To avoid duplicate requests, review this tab after you've gone through all other onboarding settings.
The Equipment tab lets you specify the types of equipment you want to ask carriers about. This is ideal if your freight requires particular gear and you want to screen for it upfront.
If you work with a variety of carrier types and don't have specific requirements, you can skip this tab and allow carriers to enter their equipment freely.
Click Onboarding Settings to customize the full onboarding experience. The goal here is to collect what's critical to your team while keeping the process as quick as possible for the carrier.
This is always required and cannot be unchecked. Load Manager uses it to automatically generate 1099 filings at year-end—as long as you have the carrier's information on file.
Select the information you want carriers to provide, such as:
Require Dispatcher Verification When checked, carriers remain in inactive status until a dispatcher reviews and approves their uploaded documents. This ensures every carrier meets your standards before being booked to a load. Highly recommended.
Allow Manual Contract Submission Allows carriers to download, sign, and return the contract manually. Useful for carriers in areas with limited internet or signal strength. Generally recommended to leave off unless needed.
Annual Contract Renewal When checked, a carrier's contract will automatically expire one year from their onboarding date, requiring them to re-onboard before being assigned to a load.
Choose how you want to collect insurance information:
Select which insurance types to require and set minimum coverage amounts for each.
Once your selections are made, click Save, then Preview Onboarding to see exactly what your carriers will experience. Make any adjustments before you start sending invitations.
Use the Copy Onboarding Link button to generate an external link for carriers who haven't worked with you yet. Carriers simply enter their DOT or MC number to begin. This link works great for:
For carriers already in your system:
The carrier will receive a personalized invitation with much of their information pre-filled based on your records and any integration data from Carrier Lookout.
Once an invitation is sent, the Onboard Carrier button will update to show the carrier's current step (e.g., Step 1 of 3). When they've completed onboarding, it will switch to View Carrier Packet.
All information entered by the carrier updates in your system automatically, and their signed contract will be attached to their file.
Set it up once, and from then on, all you have to do is click Onboard Carrier for each new carrier. Everything else takes care of itself.
For questions, reach out to your Load Manager support team.