A Freight Broker's Guide to Success: How to File a Surety Bond Claim

Carriers who do not receive payment from freight brokers for contracted services can file a claim upon the broker’s surety bond. Please follow this step-by-step guide to filing a Freight Broker surety bond claim against Lexington National Insurance Company (partnered with Jet Insurance Services). Step One: Find the Appropriate Surety to File a Claim Against

Use the FMCSA’s public search portal to verify which surety company the surety bond claim needs to be with. From this page, you’ll need to use the drop-down menu from the top-right of the page, and click “Carrier Search”. This is the screen you will see:

Enter the USDOT, Motor Carrier, or Freight Forwarder number for the broker handling the load. If you do not have that information the business name and state can work. Click “HTML” under the “View Details” on the result that matches the broker you contracted with.

Select “Active/Pending Insurance” to see the surety company on the active bond. Verify the incident is after the “Effective Date (the incident is the delivery date of the load)”. If the incident was before the “Effective Date”, then select “Insurance History” to find the bond active during that incident.

Click on the surety (insurance carrier) to get their contact information. If Lexington National Insurance Corporation held the bond when the load was delivered, you can easily submit the claim online with the bond number found on the FMCSA website.

Step Two: Submit Your Claim Through the Online Portal

With the bond number in hand, you can file a claim on the Lexington National BMC - 84 Claim Submission page. Click “File a Claim” and fill out the application completely. There will be an opportunity at the end of the application to attach the following:

• Bill of Lading
• Proof of Delivery (if not clear on Bill of Lading)
• Rate Con
• Contract with Broker
• Invoice to Broker

The application needs to be filled out completely and accurately. Missing or inaccurate information will delay the time it takes to process the claim and ultimately make payment to the carrier.

Once the claim is submitted and received by a claims handler, a notice of acknowledgment will be sent. If the handler requests any additional information the claimant must respond promptly and with the information requested. The goal of the handler is to provide an opportunity to find a quick settlement for the carrier and most often this will come directly from the broker.

For a visual walkthrough of how to file a claim, you can watch this short video:

If you’d like to read more about claims within the freight industry and the effect they have on businesses, click here to see the next Jet Surety article!