There is a practice that is destroying the portfolios of thousands of carriers and almost no one talks about it with the clarity it deserves: double intermediation, or as it is called in the United States, double brokering .

Here’s how it works: a freight forwarder receives a shipment from a shipper, but instead of assigning it directly to a trucking company, they re-intermediate it with another freight forwarder or broker, sometimes without your knowledge. You move the shipment, deliver on time, do everything right, and when it’s time to get paid, you discover that your actual counterpart isn’t who you thought, that the original broker has already been paid and disappeared, and that the person who hired you has neither the authority of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) nor the funds to pay you.

Your freight business has become a chain of intermediaries where the last link—you, the one who provided the truck, the diesel, and the driver—ends up not getting paid . This isn’t an isolated case. It’s an epidemic that in the United States has led the FMCSA to tighten regulations, and which operates with total impunity in Mexico because the regulatory structure still can’t distinguish between a legitimate intermediary and one who simply resells loads without operational capacity or financial backing.

The most dangerous aspect of double intermediation is that you don’t see it until it’s too late. You receive a freight order, verify that the broker’s name exists, and assume everything is in order. But you don’t investigate who was originally behind that shipment, you don’t ask if the shipment passed through another intermediary before reaching you . And when payment doesn’t arrive within 30 days, you start calling and discover that the freight forwarder has already been paid by the shipper, has no intention of paying you, or worse, that their phone line is disconnected and the company is no longer operating. At that point, you’ve already lost.

You have no contractual relationship with the original shipper, your documentation points to an intermediary who vanished , and your right to payment is left floating in a legal vacuum that may take months or years to resolve, if it is ever resolved at all.

What can you do before this happens to you?

First, and this is non-negotiable: verify your counterparty before moving a single kilometer of cargo . In the United States, check the status of the MC and DOT number in the FMCSA database; it’s free and takes five minutes. Confirm that the BMC-84 bond is active, identify the insurer, and document everything. If the broker is not listed, or if their authority is “Not Authorized” or “Inactive,” do not move that cargo .

In Mexico, verification is more difficult because there isn’t a federal equivalent with the same transparency, but you can check the intermediary’s history on the Transportation Bureau website (burodeltransporte.com) , verify at least three references from other trucking companies, and ask the trucking community if anyone has had experience with that company. It’s not perfect, but it’s infinitely better than blindly trusting an email with a rate confirmation that no one has verified.

Second, protect your documentation as if it were money, because it is . Every shipment you move should have a Bill of Lading signed at origin and destination, a rate confirmation that clearly identifies the parties, and a record of communication that proves who hired you and under what terms. If something seems suspicious—if the broker asks you to invoice to a different name, if they change the payment instructions mid-service, if they offer you a rate that seems too good to be true—document everything and take the time to verify. In collections, one of the most common reasons an account becomes unrecoverable is that the carrier cannot prove the chain of contract. Without solid documentation, your claim becomes a story, not an enforceable right .

Third, understand that double intermediation doesn’t just affect you; it affects the entire industry . Every shipment that moves through a fraudulent chain of intermediaries weakens trade trust, distorts rates, and creates a market where legitimate freight forwarders compete against unscrupulous operators offering unsustainable rates because they never intended to pay the trucking company. It’s a structural problem that isn’t solved with a collection call; it’s solved with prevention and verification .

If you already have unpaid freight charges because you fell into a double-intermediation scheme, act quickly. Don’t wait 90 days thinking “they’ll pay eventually .” Every week that passes, the intermediary distances themselves further, the paperwork goes cold, and your legal position weakens. Assign those accounts to a specialized freight collection agency that understands the fraud structure and knows where to apply pressure. And thinking about the future of your company, make pre-payment verification a mandatory process: not a recommendation, not something done “when there’s time,” but an operational policy that no one can ignore . Double intermediation is a silent cancer, but like any cancer, it’s best fought with early detection rather than late treatment.

Until next time .

See Salvador Bañuelos’ previous column: Your client is from Texas. He owes you for three freight shipments. Do you know how to collect?

*The author is a founding partner of the binational collection firm specializing in freight transport, AFS International, with offices in Mexico and the United States ( www.cobranzadeltransporte.com and www.freightcollections.com ) .

Connect and comment with  Salvador Bañuelos on LinkedIn .

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El cargo Double intermediation: The silent cancer of freight apareció primero en T21.

In a sector where profitability is at stake in every kilometer traveled, Salvador Bañuelos Rizo presented  his latest work, “Routes to Success: Growth Strategies for Freight Transportation , ” during the Monterrey 2025 Transportation and Logistics Meeting (ETYL), organized by T21.

The credit and collection specialist—founder and CEO of AFS International , an agency with a presence in Mexico, the United States, and Canada— proposes a practical roadmap for transportation companies to achieve sustained growth, liquidity, and financial strength in an environment where competition and volatility are the norm.

The book, with a foreword by Osiel Cruz, CEO of Grupo T21 , is based on an essential premise: growth depends not only on moving more cargo, but also on intelligently managing each financial relationship. “Without a doubt, there will be a notable before and after in those companies whose leaders have the opportunity to access this work and assimilate the knowledge acquired through many years of study,” Cruz wrote in the prologue, underscoring the text’s value as a strategic tool for those who manage land, sea, and logistics transportation operations.

For Bañuelos, the book seeks to transcend theory. “Routes of Success seeks to share proven methodologies, financial strategies, and management processes that help transportation entrepreneurs strengthen their profitability and maintain healthy cash flows,” he explained. The work brings together real-life lessons learned, success stories, and applicable policies that, according to the author, have transformed the operations of companies across North America.

The text is structured around eight pillars that serve as compasses for those aspiring to build a financially sound transportation company.

• The first, smart credit , addresses how to assess risk and grant credit based on technical, historical, and profitability criteria, avoiding intuitive decisions that compromise credit flow.
• The second, strategic collections , offers effective tactics for recovering receivables without damaging business relationships, a balance that, according to Bañuelos, defines the survival of many companies.
• The third pillar, contracts and legal compliance , addresses the importance of well-structured agreements to prevent conflicts and protect the operation.
• The fourth, sales and customer service , highlights the importance of building long-term relationships based on trust, service, and profitability.
• The fifth, dispute and claims resolution , proposes professional and effective methods for dealing with operational and financial differences.
• The sixth, traffic and operations optimization , offers strategies to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve logistics flow.
• The seventh, Working with External Collection Firms , details how to select, monitor, and leverage specialized partnerships to maximize recovery without compromising business reputation.
• Finally, the eighth pillar, the digital era and human resources , emphasizes how technology, data, and talent can drive productivity and innovation within the transportation ecosystem.

More than a financial manual, Routes to Success presents itself as a logbook for entrepreneurs seeking a balance between expansion and control. In each chapter, Bañuelos combines the precision of a credit specialist with the insight of someone who has observed the crises and upswings of transportation from the inside. His goal is clear: to professionalize the financial management of a sector that drives the country’s economy but still faces shortcomings in risk management and a debt collection culture.

Author of works such as “Efficient Collections in Freight Transportation,” “Credit & Collections in the Freight Industry,” and “Credit and Collection Policy – ​​Practical Guide,” as well as the column “The Art of Collecting” published on the T21 website, Salvador Bañuelos reaffirms his commitment to the financial development of transportation with this new publication . His book, available in print through his official website , is shaping up to be an indispensable guide for those who understand that the true paths to success begin long before the truck even sets off.

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El cargo The art of collecting and growing: the strategy behind “Rutas de Éxito” apareció primero en T21.