Highway: building a fortress against freight fraud

“We didn’t invent something new—we learned from proven practices in fintech and applied them to freight,” Highway noted. This adaptation of financial security principles has led to the development of a comprehensive “Know Your Carrier” (KYC) framework that verifies three critical elements: user authenticity, authorization, and physical capability.

This approach mirrors the evolution seen in banking, where identity verification became a prerequisite for wire transfers. By applying these established security principles to carrier relationships, Highway has created a more secure freight ecosystem.

Highway has distinguished itself in the realm of freight security with impressive metrics that validate the effectiveness of its approach. The Carrier Identity™ platform, a proud recipient of the 2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighter Awards, combats fraud at its core by scrutinizing carrier identities, authorizations, and qualifications. Reflecting this strategy’s power, Highway reports a remarkable 97% reduction in double brokering among customers who rely on compliant carriers. Additionally, the Load Lock system, designed for comprehensive load protection, has resulted in zero reported stolen loads for its users.

The initiative’s success is further underscored by its ability to preemptively block over 914,000 fraud attempts in just the past year. Simultaneously, Highway has managed to thwart more than 9,800 suspicious login attempts from a staggering 75 countries, demonstrating the platform’s expansive vigilance in tracking potential threats. Customers who have integrated Load Lock and Secure Rate Con Delivery report an 80% decrease in cargo theft, showcasing the tangible benefits of these systems.

In a notable incident that highlights Highway’s preventive prowess, a customer managed to save a $130,000 high-value load thanks to early identification of suspicious activities before the scheduled pickup. This case emphasizes how Highway’s proactive strategies not only thwart fraud but also safeguard assets, reinforcing trust and efficiency within the freight ecosystem.

When asked about advice for others fighting fraud, Highway emphasized the primacy of identity verification: “Start with identity. If you don’t have an identity layer, everything else downstream is vulnerable.”

This philosophy extends to standardizing security practices across organizations. Highway recommends holding carriers to the same security standards as internal teams. “If you require SSO and access controls for employees, carriers shouldn’t be an exception,” the company advised.

The company issues a clear warning about resistant parties: “Anyone who wants to bypass identity validation is likely trying to hide something.” This straightforward approach has helped Highway protect more than 950 freight brokers, from high-volume enterprise operations to specialized teams handling sensitive cargo.

Highway believes fraud prevention must transcend mere compliance and become integrated into everyday decision-making. “The biggest gaps happen when floor-level decisions are made without the right signals,” the company explains.

This operational integration requires both human and technological components. “Train teams to recognize the red flags—and give them the tech to respond instantly,” Highway advises. Their solution makes it easier for representatives to flag anomalies, identify exceptions, and reduce manual subjectivity, all while providing tools that detect behavioral changes and monitor risk in real time.

Highway’s platform offers comprehensive fraud prevention across every stage of the load lifecycle, tackling prevalent and costly threats such as the theft or unlawful sale of Motor Carrier numbers, double brokering schemes, and identity impersonation. It also effectively addresses issues like fictitious pickups, email inbox compromises, and load-level fraud, where carriers may become noncompliant post-booking due to factors like expired insurance, revoked authority, or unsuitable equipment. Rather than acting as a mere vetting tool, Highway functions as an integrated fraud prevention ecosystem, which actively intercepts malicious actors before they infiltrate broker networks and ensures that every load is monitored to guarantee that the cargo is managed by legitimate carriers.

Rather than functioning as a simple vetting tool, Highway operates as a dynamic fraud prevention ecosystem that proactively blocks bad actors before they access broker networks while continuously monitoring every load to ensure legitimate carriers are handling freight.

The result is what Highway described as “a safer, faster, and more trustworthy carrier network”—a vision that has earned them recognition as a leading fraud fighter in the freight industry.