trucking

New Industry Standard Offers Framework for Defensible Carrier Selection

Cassandra Gaines, CEO of Carrier Assure, has released The CAVRA Standard, a 54-page guide establishing best practices for carrier vetting across the freight industry. The framework addresses growing legal uncertainty following recent court decisions that have heightened scrutiny of how brokers, shippers and freight forwarders select motor carriers. The standard centers on four core principles: carrier assessment, verification, risk and accountability. The CAVRA Standard moves beyond traditional vetting focused solely on operating authority and insurance, requiring evaluation of safety data, roadside inspection records, fraud indicators, identity verification and double-brokering risks. The framework establishes nine core principles including continuous monitoring, documentation procedures and controls to prevent fraud. Gaines unveiled the standard during a webinar attended by more than 800 transportation professionals. He positioned it as a practical benchmark rather than a rigid checklist that companies can adopt or use to evaluate existing carrier-selection programs.