FMCSA Complaint Center: How Truckers Report Brokers, Fraud & Coercion

FMCSA has relaunched its National Consumer Complaint Database as the FMCSA Complaint Center, and the biggest change for truckers is what you can now report. Since the November 6, 2026 announcement, drivers and carriers can file complaints about property brokers, entry-level driver training (ELDT) providers, ELD providers, and registration fraud or identity theft, alongside the long-standing categories for carriers, coercion and harassment. You file online at complaint.fmcsa.dot.gov or by phone at 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238).

Here is what changed, what qualifies, and how to file a complaint that is actually useful to investigators.

What FMCSA changed

According to the FMCSA information bulletin, the platform was rebuilt as part of DOT's Pro-Trucker Package, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled in June 2025. The agency lists four enhancements:

• Expanded complaint categories, so drivers and industry professionals can report a wider range of problems.
• "General public" replaces "consumer" as the label for people outside the industry.
• A redesigned website, complaint form and search tool.
• A new "Drug and Alcohol Service Agents" category, which now covers the Medical Review Officer and Substance Abuse Professional complaints that used to sit on their own.

Trade coverage from Truck News, HDT/Trucking Info and FleetOwner points out an important limit: filing a complaint does not automatically trigger an investigation, and it does not by itself result in a violation or penalty. Think of it as getting your issue on the record with the regulator, not as a court filing.

What drivers and carriers can report now

FMCSA's eligible complaints page splits the categories by who is filing. For CMV drivers and industry professionals, the list is:

• Truck or bus company
• Drug and alcohol service agents
• Moving company (broker)
• Motorist safety
• ELD provider
• Entry-level driver training / Training Provider Registry (ELDT/TPR)
• Property broker
• Hazardous materials
• Intermodal equipment provider (IEP)
• Registration-related fraud and identity theft

The general public can file on moving companies (including moving brokers and auto transporters), motorist safety, bus companies and hazardous materials.

Broker complaints and registration fraud

For owner-operators and small fleets, the property broker and fraud categories are the most practical additions. FMCSA says broker complaints relate to operating authority and/or financial responsibility. Examples it gives on the eligible complaints page include a broker that:

• Misrepresents its operations as a motor carrier
• Engages in improper rebating
• Advertises under a name other than the one it registered
• Operates without required authority, insurance or registration
• Fails to keep required transaction records

The registration fraud and identity theft category covers cases where someone uses your registration information without authorization, obtains registration under false pretenses, or submits false or misleading information on an application. FMCSA also lists aggressive marketing, phishing or similar tactics aimed at getting into a registration account. If you have had your USDOT number or MC authority hijacked, or a "carrier" is booking loads under your name, this is the category to use.

Keep in mind that FMCSA's role is regulatory. A complaint about a broker that will not pay is a record of a possible authority or financial-responsibility problem, not a collections process.

Coercion, harassment and ELDT problems

Driver coercion has been reportable for years, and it remains one of the core uses of the system. On FMCSA's coercion page, the agency defines coercion as a carrier, shipper, receiver or intermediary threatening to withhold work from, take employment action against, or punish a driver for refusing to violate safety, hazmat or commercial regulations. A violation does not have to actually occur for the threat to count. Being pushed to run past your hours of service is the classic example.

Key points from that page:

• The coercion rule took effect January 29, 2016.
• Complaints must be filed within 90 days of the incident.
• Include supporting evidence such as texts or emails and the names of witnesses.
• Harassment by your employer is also listed as an eligible complaint.
• Drivers who raise safety concerns are protected from retaliation under OSHA whistleblower statutes, which are filed separately at whistleblowers.gov.
• Workplace sexual harassment or discrimination goes to the EEOC, and sexual assault should be reported to local law enforcement.

The new ELDT/TPR category targets training providers that may be violating 49 CFR Part 380, Subparts F and G. FMCSA's examples include schools that do not use the required curriculum or instructor materials, use uncertified instructors, train in unsafe facilities or vehicles, or are tied to fraudulently issued CDLs. If you are hiring new drivers, this is worth knowing: a training provider that cut corners can become your safety problem.

How to file a complaint that gets attention

FMCSA's contact details from the announcement:

• Online: complaint.fmcsa.dot.gov
• Phone: 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday
• Emergencies: call 911, not the complaint line

Because a complaint does not guarantee an investigation, the quality of what you submit matters. A practical checklist:

1. Pick the right category. A broker issue filed as a carrier complaint is harder to route.
2. Identify the company precisely. Include USDOT and MC numbers, legal name and any names it advertises under.
3. Write a short timeline. Dates, load numbers, locations and who said what.
4. Attach evidence. Rate confirmations, texts, emails, dispatch messages, ELD records and screenshots.
5. Name witnesses where you have them.
6. File quickly. For coercion, the 90-day window is firm.
7. Keep copies of everything you submit.

Why it matters for small carriers

Small operations usually have the least leverage when a broker misrepresents itself, a training school sends you an unprepared driver, or a customer leans on you to bend hours-of-service rules. The expanded Complaint Center does not fix those problems on its own, but it gives you a documented, official channel for getting problems in front of the regulator.

It also cuts both ways. If you operate as a carrier or broker, more people now have an easy route to report you. Clean registration records, accurate advertising, proper authority and insurance, and good transaction records are your best protection.

Key takeaways

• FMCSA renamed its National Consumer Complaint Database the FMCSA Complaint Center on November 6, 2026.
• New and expanded categories cover property brokers, ELDT training providers, ELD providers and registration fraud/identity theft.
• File at complaint.fmcsa.dot.gov or 1-888-368-7238 (weekdays, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. ET).
• A complaint does not automatically start an investigation or lead to a penalty, so submit specific facts and evidence.
• Coercion complaints must be filed within 90 days; retaliation for raising safety concerns is handled through OSHA's whistleblower program.

Running a clean, well-documented operation also helps when it's time to move equipment — sell your truck on Rocky Trucks.