A lot of carriers find out about a FreightGuard report, feel sick about it for a day, and then decide to wait it out. Surely something like that drops off after a year or two, the way a late payment eventually stops hurting your credit.
It doesn't. And the waiting is usually the most expensive part.
Short answer: A FreightGuard report has no expiration date. It stays on your Carrier411 profile until the broker or shipper who filed it deletes it. That could be three days after it was filed, or never. Once it's deleted, it's gone from your profile completely.
Why FreightGuard reports don't expire
A FreightGuard report isn't a government record with a retention schedule. It's a note one Carrier411 subscriber wrote about your company, stored in a private database. Carrier411 doesn't review reports, decide who was right, or clean out old ones. It simply shows what the reporting company wrote, for as long as that company leaves it there.
That's why "how long does it last" really means "how long until the broker deletes it." There's no clock running in your favor.
New to all this? Start with What Is a FreightGuard Report? and What Is Carrier411?
"Isn't it permanent after 72 hours?"
No. You'll still find old forum posts and even some websites saying a report becomes permanent 72 hours after it's filed. Carrier411 talked about a rule like that, but it never took effect. A broker can delete a report at any time, whether it's three days old or three years old, and once it's deleted it disappears without a trace. We cover this in detail in Is a FreightGuard Report Permanent After 72 Hours?
What is real is the 72-hour window you get to post one response on CarrierResponse.com. That's a deadline for your reply, not for removal. Here's how to write that response.
What an old report keeps costing you
Brokers don't just look at whether you have a report. They look at what it says, and a two-year-old "double brokering" note reads exactly the same as one filed last week. Some brokers will give an old report less weight. Many won't take the chance:
- "No flagged carriers" policies. Plenty of brokerages won't book any carrier with an open report, no matter how old it is or who filed it. That includes brokers you've hauled for happily for years.
- The three-second decision. When a broker has five trucks that can cover a load and one of them has a report, they pick one of the other four. Nobody calls to hear your side.
- It shows up everywhere you go. Every new broker who vets you on Carrier411 sees it, on every load you bid on.
Add up even two or three loads a week that go to someone else, and a report left alone for a year can cost far more than it would ever cost to deal with it.
Things that won't make a report go away
Carriers try a lot of things before they call us. These don't work:
- Waiting. There's no expiration, so time alone does nothing.
- Asking Carrier411 to take it down. Carrier411 doesn't settle disputes between carriers and brokers. Only the company that filed the report can delete it.
- Fixing your SAFER profile. FreightGuard reports aren't on FMCSA SAFER and don't affect your CSA scores or safety rating. A clean SAFER record and an open FreightGuard report can exist side by side.
- Starting over with a new MC number. Brokers and vetting services look closely at new authorities, especially ones linked to an old company by address, phone or owner. A new MC also throws away your history and the brokers who already trust you.
- Angry calls, threats or public posts. These almost always make a broker less willing to delete the report, not more.
When a report does come off
A report comes off when the company that filed it decides it should. In our experience, that usually happens once the broker's actual problem is resolved: a misunderstanding gets cleared up, a claim gets settled, or the broker sees proof that what they believed about the load wasn't the full story.
Getting there is the hard part. The broker has already made up their mind. The dispatcher who handled the load may have left. And if the last phone call ended in an argument, calling again usually just restarts it. That's where a neutral third party helps. A mediator can reopen the conversation without the history, find out what the broker needs, and work out an agreement that ends with the report deleted.
When the broker is reachable and the dispute is clear, that often takes just a few business days. Older and more complicated cases take longer. See How Long Does It Take to Remove a Carrier411 Report? for real timelines.
Is it too late to remove an old report?
Almost never. We regularly get reports removed that are many months old. Age can slow things down a little, because the broker has to dig out an old file and the people involved may have moved on. But there's no point after which a broker can't delete a report. The sooner you start, the fewer loads you lose in the meantime.
How FreightGuard Removal helps
We're a mediation company, not a law firm. When a broker has reported you, we contact that broker on your behalf, find out what it will take to settle the dispute, and negotiate a resolution that leads them to delete the report. That includes old reports.
- 6 years helping carriers resolve problems with brokers
- 76% average removal success rate
- 300+ reports removed, 214 of them last year
- Reports on Carrier411, Highway, CarrierAssure, TIA Watchdog and more
- No upfront payment: you pay only after the report is removed
See your chances of removal in under 2 minutes →
Or call +1 (215) 437-3247, Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.
Or call +1 (215) 437-3247, Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.
FAQ
How long does a FreightGuard report last?
Until the broker or shipper who filed it deletes it. FreightGuard reports have no expiration date.
Does a FreightGuard report ever expire or fall off on its own?
No. Carrier411 doesn't remove old reports automatically. A report stays on your profile until the company that filed it deletes it.
How long does a FreightGuard report stay on your record?
For as long as the reporting company leaves it there, whether that's days or years. It isn't part of your FMCSA record, so it doesn't affect your safety rating or CSA scores, but brokers who use Carrier411 will see it.
Does a FreightGuard report become permanent after 72 hours?
No. That's a myth. A broker can delete a report at any time. The 72-hour window is only for posting your one response on CarrierResponse.com.
Can a report that's a year old still be removed?
Yes. Old reports can be removed the same way as new ones: the broker who filed it agrees to delete it. It may take a little longer because the broker has to revisit an old load.
Does anything show on my profile after a report is deleted?
No. Once the broker deletes a report, it disappears from your Carrier411 profile completely.
FreightGuard Removal is an independent mediation service. We are not a law firm and are not affiliated with Carrier411 or FMCSA. Carrier411 and FreightGuard are names belonging to their respective owner. This article is general information, not legal advice.