Cargado FAQ for freight brokers

Short answers to the questions freight brokers ask before they request access. Every answer links to the help article that goes deeper.

Request accessGet a demo

What Cargado is

What is Cargado?
Cargado is a marketplace where freight brokers post Mexico and Canada freight and vetted carriers bid on it. You post a load or a lane, Cargado notifies the carriers that fit, you work the bids in chat, and you book the carrier. Market Rates, built from those bids, are included. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/get-started-in-nine-minutes
Is Cargado a freight broker?

No. Cargado does not buy or sell freight, does not take a cut of the load, and never touches the payment. You send your own rate confirmation and pay the carrier directly on your terms. Freight brokers pay a subscription; carriers use the marketplace free. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/after-a-match

Is Cargado a TMS? Does it work with mine?
Cargado is not a TMS. Your TMS stays the system of record. Loads created in McLeod, Tai or Turvo can flow into Cargado and wait under Review to Post until you release them. Market Rates are also available through the API for your own tools. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/connect-your-tms
How do I get an account?

Request access. Freight broker accounts are created by Cargado under a signed agreement, so nobody can sign themselves up as a freight broker. Once you are set up, every plan includes unlimited users, so invite everyone who touches cross-border freight. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/set-up-your-account

Cost and plans

What does Cargado cost?

Freight brokers pay a value-based subscription with no commission on loads. What you pay scales with how much freight you move; every plan includes unlimited users and Market Rates. Carriers pay nothing. The range and the plan shapes are on https://cargado.com/en-ca/pricing. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/plan-usage-and-limits

What counts against my plan?
Two things: postings and market rate lookups, both metered for your company as a whole, not per user. Creating a posting counts once, whatever the type; editing it does not count again. A lookup counts once per new lane, date range or trailer type, wherever you run it: the Rates tab, Excel or the API. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/plan-usage-and-limits
Can I cancel or pause?
Yes, by email. There is no self-serve cancel button; write to success@cargado.com or tell your success manager whether you want to stop or pause for a period, and we handle it. If you are pausing around a seasonal lull, say when you expect to be back. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/cancel-or-pause-your-account

Carriers and vetting

How are carriers vetted?

Every carrier applies, and our carrier team reviews the application before turning the account on. U.S. carriers are checked against their FMCSA record for active authority. Mexican carriers submit their RFC, constancia de situación fiscal, SICT permit, proof of address and legal representative ID. Canadian carriers submit their provincial safety registration (CVOR, NIR or NSC), safety fitness certificate, incorporation and insurance. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/how-carriers-are-vetted

Does Cargado's vetting replace my carrier onboarding?
No. Cargado vets every carrier before it can bid; your onboarding still runs on every match. Send your success manager your onboarding link and every match tells the carrier to onboard with you first. Cargado finds the carrier; your onboarding approves it. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/set-up-your-account
Can I block a carrier?
Yes. On a single posting, add them to the Blocked carriers field and they never see it. To block a carrier from everything your company posts, send your do-not-use list to success@cargado.com and we apply it. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/block-a-carrier
Can a Mexican carrier on Cargado haul in the U.S.?
Do not assume so. Mexican carriers can apply without a USDOT number. If your load needs U.S. registration or authority, confirm the carrier holds it before you tender. Certifications like CTPAT are entered by carriers on their own profile; ask for the certificate if your process needs proof. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/cover-mexico-freight

Posting and matching

Who sees my posting?

Only carriers whose profile matches it: trailer type, origin and destination, border crossing and the requirements you turned on. Other freight brokers cannot browse your postings. Each requirement you check narrows the list, so check only what the shipper requires. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/post-it-right

Why am I not getting bids?
Usually one of four things: a requirement that filtered out the carriers who run the lane, a rate or pickup window carriers cannot work with, a posting with too little detail, or a lane nobody was messaged on. Message three to five suggested carriers from the Coverage panel as soon as you post. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/why-no-bids
What happens after a match?
Both teams get a match message with the carrier's name, city and carrier numbers. The chat stays attached to the load and translates both ways. The carrier onboards through your link, you send the rate confirmation and dispatch, and you pay them directly. A matched Lane stays live for the next carrier. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/after-a-match
Do I need Spanish speakers on my team?
Not for routine coverage. Chat translates between English, Spanish and French automatically, and every translated message keeps a Show original link. The app itself runs in English, Spanish for Mexico, French for Canada and English for Canada, set per person. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/change-your-language
Can other freight brokers see my freight or my rates?

No. Freight broker accounts cannot browse the load board, and other freight brokers cannot see your postings or your carrier lists. Bids, counteroffers and chat are saved on the platform with timestamps, and chat holds phone numbers and emails until a bid or counteroffer is accepted. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/workspaces

Market Rates

Where do Market Rates come from?
From the bids carriers place on postings in Cargado over the trailing 12 weeks, refreshed weekly. Low, Mid and High are the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles of those bids, fuel included, and every result carries a confidence label. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/read-a-market-rate
Which lanes have rates?
U.S. to Mexico in both directions is the deepest, domestic Mexico is priced in pesos, and cross-border Canada is priced where carriers are bidding. Most U.S. domestic freight is out of scope and intra-Canada moves are not supported. A lane with too few bids shows "not enough data" and offers to post it as a potential. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/no-rate-on-my-lane
Can I price a whole RFP in Excel?
Yes. Your Microsoft 365 admin deploys the Cargado add-in from AppSource once; you sign in with your Cargado login. Paste your lanes into the Cargado Rates sheet and get Low, Mid, High, confidence and the recommended crossing per lane. Lanes with too few bids come back as not enough data. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/price-a-bid-file-in-excel

Carriers

I'm a carrier. Where do I go?

Apply at https://cargado.com/en-ca/carriers/request-access. Marketplace access is free for carriers. What the application asks for depends on your country, and our team reviews it before you can bid. Detail: https://cargado.com/help-articles/carrier-approval

Still have a question?

Request access and bring it to your first call, or email success@cargado.com. Carriers: the marketplace is free; apply below.

Request accessGet a demo
I'm a carrier: request access