To become a freight broker, you must apply for a license and comply with the licensing requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). But once you're licensed, there are ongoing requirements that you also need to comply with. Occasionally you must update your information with FMCSA, renew your freight broker bond yearly, but also watch out for new regulations that concern your business.

To keep track of all those important freight broker requirements, it's good to have the most informative and authoritative resources at hand. To spare you the effort, we've rounded up a list of the best sources of information regarding broker compliance for you.

A variety of sources on broker compliance exists. Some of them are government websites, whereas others are online forums and communities, or online guides. Here are our top picks.

1. Regulatory bodies

In terms of legal information on broker compliance, your best bet is to turn to the websites of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

If you're new to brokerage and are about to get licensed, the FMCSA is the place where you go to complete your application process and receive your license. It is the main regulatory body for brokers, and provides detailed information on getting licensed as a broker.

The DOT on the other hand, has a large list of additional freight resources that offer freight information by state, freight performance measures as well as details around the National Freight Advisory Committee and the National Freight Policy and its development and implementation.

Finally, you may want to keep an eye on the FDA as well. Though brokers are not often implicated by the decisions and regulations of the FDA, occasionally certain rules will also apply to them. For example, the Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food which was issued earlier this year concerns shippers, carriers, loaders as well as brokers.

The first deadline for compliance with the new rule was April 6, 2017 but it concerned only the biggest shippers, carriers and brokers in the country. The majority of businesses implicated by the rule will need to be compliant with its requirements as of April 6, 2018. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules and its requirements, and prepare to be compliant once it comes into effect.

2. Freight broker compliance guide

If you'd rather not browse through all these websites in order to get the licensing and compliance info you need, you could have a look at this detailed freight broker compliance guide.

This guide contains all relevant information regarding:

• Registering your business
• The licensing and bonding process for brokers
• The cost of setting up a brokerage
• Suggestions for broker training options
• Renewing your bond and updating your information with the FMCSA
• Ongoing compliance for brokers

Due to the extensive information contained, this guide can be extremely useful both to persons who are applying for a freight broker license, as well as for already registered brokers who need to update their knowledge.

3. Online communities and forums

Another great way to stay on top of things is to connect with fellow freight brokers via various online forums. There are a number of different online freight broker communities, some of which are on social media and some of which aren't. So even if you're not much of a Facebook user, there are still plenty of ways to connect and exchange tips, advice and info.

Have a look at the following communities:

• The Freight Broker Forum at the Truckers Report
• The Truckers Forum - though mostly aimed at truckers, this forum also has a freight brokers discussion section
• Freight Broker Agent Forum - Indeed.com's forum section for freight brokers
• Freight Brokers, Shippers, Carriers & Drivers Group and FREIGHT BROKERS on Facebook

All the above resources together constitute the most important sources of your information on how to comply with current freight broker regulations and requirements.

Vic Lance is the founder and president of Lance Surety Bond Associates. He is a surety bond expert who helps mortgage brokers get licensed and bonded. Vic graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Business Administration and holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.