Is CarrierClear a replacement for Highway?

For a smaller or mid-size broker, it often is. CarrierClear covers carrier vetting, plain-language risk reasons, and ongoing monitoring without a sales process. It does not replicate Highway's enterprise identity and onboarding platform, so a large brokerage with heavy onboarding and TMS integration needs may still prefer Highway.

How much does Highway cost compared to CarrierClear?

Highway is typically sold through a demo and a quote, so we do not state a price for it here. CarrierClear's pricing is public: free for instant checks, then Solo $49, Team $99, and Pro $199 per month.

Do I have to talk to a sales rep to use CarrierClear?

No. CarrierClear is self-serve. You can run a free MC or DOT check with no account, and you can sign up for a paid plan and start monitoring the same day without a demo or a contract.

Does CarrierClear do fraud and identity screening like Highway?

Paid plans include OFAC sanctions screening, phone and address fraud screening, and an identity-reuse flag for chameleon and shared-EIN patterns. Highway has built deeper, enterprise-grade identity tooling, so the depth differs, but CarrierClear covers the core fraud signals most brokers need on a lookup.

Where does CarrierClear get its carrier data?

From public FMCSA records, mainly SAFER and SMS, the same official sources the industry uses, plus third-party phone and address screening on paid plans. CarrierClear surfaces and explains that data; it does not certify a carrier and is not a consumer report under the FCRA.

Can I keep a record of the vetting I did?

Yes. The free tier produces a dated PDF vetting record, and paid monitoring keeps a dated change-history log over time. That documentation matters for brokers after Montgomery v. Caribe raised the stakes on documented carrier diligence.

Comparison

A simpler Highway alternative for carrier vetting and monitoring

Highway is a real, enterprise-grade carrier identity and onboarding platform, and plenty of large brokerages run on it. But it is sold through a demo and a sales process, and it is built to sit inside your onboarding stack. If you are a smaller broker who just wants to vet a carrier and monitor it without an enterprise contract, that is a lot of weight to take on. CarrierClear is the self-serve alternative: a free instant MC or DOT check, paid plans that explain every risk reason in plain language, ongoing monitoring with email alerts, and published pricing that starts at $49 a month.

Check a carrier now

Run a free MC or DOT check right now and see what a no-account vetting record looks like.

Just the number works — with or without the MC/DOT prefix, and spaces are fine. Tip: prefix an MC number with “MC” (e.g. MC123456) so it isn't read as a DOT number.

Demo:— click to see a sample result + PDF

What Highway is, fairly stated

Highway is an identity and onboarding platform built for the broker side of the transaction. Its focus is carrier identity verification and fraud prevention, and it is widely used by large brokerages. It is typically adopted as part of an onboarding workflow rather than as a quick one-off lookup, and access usually goes through a demo and a sales conversation rather than instant signup.

That model fits a large operation with a dedicated compliance team and a TMS to integrate with. It is real software that does its job. The question is not whether Highway is good. The question is whether an enterprise identity platform, bought through sales and wired into onboarding, is the right shape for how you actually work.

Where CarrierClear is different

Self-serve, no sales call. You do not book a demo or wait for a quote. You enter an MC or DOT number and get an answer in seconds, and you can start paid monitoring the same day.
A genuinely free tier. CarrierClear gives you a free instant check of operating authority, insurance on file, safety rating, and out-of-service status, with no account, plus a dated PDF vetting record. There is a daily limit of 10 lookups, but no card and no trial clock.
Published pricing. Paid plans are listed on the page: Solo $49, Team $99, and Pro $199 per month. Highway is typically sold through a demo and a quote, so we do not state a price for it here.
Risk reasons in plain language. Every paid lookup gives a risk rating that always shows the exact reasons behind it. It is never a black-box score. You see the underlying facts and can document the call you made.
Built around the diligence record. Each check produces a dated record you can keep on file, which matters after Montgomery v. Caribe made documented carrier diligence a real concern for brokers.

What you give up, honestly

We are not going to pretend CarrierClear matches Highway feature for feature. Highway has built deep identity and fraud tooling and an enterprise footprint that a self-serve product does not replicate. If your operation needs heavy onboarding workflows, tight TMS integration, and an enterprise identity stack, that is a real reason to look at a platform like Highway.

CarrierClear is the right call when the enterprise version is more than you need. It covers the vetting and monitoring you do every day, at a price and setup that a small or mid-size brokerage can actually live with, without a contract or an implementation.

What a paid CarrierClear plan adds on every lookup

Full insurance picture. On-file versus required coverage for liability and BIPD, cargo, and bond, so you can see a gap instead of guessing.
Safety in context. Out-of-service rates compared to the national average, plus crash and inspection history.
Fraud and sanctions screening. OFAC sanctions screening, phone and address fraud screening, and an identity-reuse flag for chameleon and shared-EIN patterns.
Ongoing monitoring. Email alerts and a dated change-history log, so a carrier that goes bad after you onboarded it does not slip past you.
Clean records and team tooling. Clean, unbranded vetting records start on Solo. Bulk lookups, call logging, the shared team watchlist, and the weekly digest are Team and up; webhooks and the compliance CSV export are Pro.

Where the data comes from

The carrier facts come from public FMCSA records, the same SAFER and SMS data the whole industry relies on. Paid plans layer in third-party phone and address screening. CarrierClear is an information tool that surfaces and explains this data. It does not certify that a carrier is fit, legitimate, or properly insured, and it is not legal advice or a consumer report. It gives you the facts and the reasons so you can make and document your own decision.

Who should pick which

Pick Highway if. you are a large brokerage that wants an enterprise identity and onboarding platform integrated into your stack, and you have the team and budget for a sales-led rollout.
Pick CarrierClear if. you want to vet and monitor carriers today, self-serve, starting free and then $49 a month, with risk reasons you can read and a dated record you can keep.
Try before you decide. the free check costs nothing and needs no account, so you can see exactly what CarrierClear returns before you ever pay.

Common questions

Is CarrierClear a replacement for Highway?: For a smaller or mid-size broker, it often is. CarrierClear covers carrier vetting, plain-language risk reasons, and ongoing monitoring without a sales process. It does not replicate Highway's enterprise identity and onboarding platform, so a large brokerage with heavy onboarding and TMS integration needs may still prefer Highway.
How much does Highway cost compared to CarrierClear?: Highway is typically sold through a demo and a quote, so we do not state a price for it here. CarrierClear's pricing is public: free for instant checks, then Solo $49, Team $99, and Pro $199 per month.
Do I have to talk to a sales rep to use CarrierClear?: No. CarrierClear is self-serve. You can run a free MC or DOT check with no account, and you can sign up for a paid plan and start monitoring the same day without a demo or a contract.
Does CarrierClear do fraud and identity screening like Highway?: Paid plans include OFAC sanctions screening, phone and address fraud screening, and an identity-reuse flag for chameleon and shared-EIN patterns. Highway has built deeper, enterprise-grade identity tooling, so the depth differs, but CarrierClear covers the core fraud signals most brokers need on a lookup.
Where does CarrierClear get its carrier data?: From public FMCSA records, mainly SAFER and SMS, the same official sources the industry uses, plus third-party phone and address screening on paid plans. CarrierClear surfaces and explains that data; it does not certify a carrier and is not a consumer report under the FCRA.
Can I keep a record of the vetting I did?: Yes. The free tier produces a dated PDF vetting record, and paid monitoring keeps a dated change-history log over time. That documentation matters for brokers after Montgomery v. Caribe raised the stakes on documented carrier diligence.

Sources

1.Highway — carrier identity & fraud-prevention platform — Highway
2.Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, LLC (U.S. Supreme Court opinion) — Supreme Court of the United States, May 2026
3.SAFER Company Snapshot (free public motor-carrier record) — FMCSA

Free carrier vetting →See CarrierClear pricing →How carrier monitoring works →Compare vetting tools →

CarrierClear displays public FMCSA records and records your own verification. It is not legal advice and not a certification of any carrier’s fitness, legitimacy, or insurance. Verify independently before relying on any record. Comparisons reflect our understanding of publicly available information as of the date shown and may change; CarrierClear is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any other company named here, and all trademarks belong to their respective owners.