freight-load-scanner

name

freight-load-scanner

description

Scan DAT/Truckstop load boards for freight loads matching broker criteria and automatically vet carriers via the free FMCSA SAFER API. Use when a freight broker asks to find loads on a specific lane, wants to vet a carrier by MC number, needs load board monitoring, or wants to check carrier compliance. Triggered by phrases like "find loads", "scan DAT", "vet carrier MC#", "load board", "find reefer loads", "find dry van loads", "check this carrier".

Freight Load Scanner

Scans DAT load board for matching loads and vets carriers via FMCSA SAFER API. Results delivered as SMS-formatted text.

Setup

# Required for live DAT load board (register free at developer.dat.com)
export DAT_CLIENT_ID=your_client_id
export DAT_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret

# Optional - FMCSA API key for reliable carrier vetting (register free at mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov)
export FMCSA_WEB_KEY=your_key

Without credentials, scripts use sample data and SAFER web scraping respectively.

Usage

Scan for loads

cd skills/freight-load-scanner/scripts
python3 dat_scanner.py --origin "Los Angeles, CA" --dest "New York, NY" --equipment reefer
python3 dat_scanner.py --origin "Dallas, TX" --dest "Chicago, IL" --equipment dry_van --min-rate 2500

Vet a carrier

python3 fmcsa_vet.py MC123456
python3 fmcsa_vet.py 789012 --json

Database status

python3 -c "import sys; sys.path.insert(0, '../../..'); from shared.freight_db import *; c=get_connection(); print('DB ready')"

Broker Text Commands

Command	Action
find [origin] to [dest] [equipment]	Scan for loads
vet MC#[number]	Vet a specific carrier
vetted carriers [lane]	List previously vetted carriers on a lane
rate history [lane]	Historical pricing for a lane
skip load [ID]	Ignore a specific load

Carrier Vetting Status

• ✅ PASS - Active authority, satisfactory safety rating, no red flags
• ⚠️ WARN - New MC (<6 months), conditional rating, or some crashes - verify before booking
• ❌ FAIL - Inactive/revoked authority, OOS orders, or MC not found - do not book

Example SMS Output

🚛 3 LOADS FOUND - LA to NYC

1. Reefer, $3,450, Pickup Dec 18
   Los Angeles, CA → New York, NY
   Pacific Foods Inc
   ✅ Active | Satisfactory | 0 crashes
   📞 [phone]

2. Dry Van, $3,200, Pickup Dec 19
   West Coast Distributors
   ⚠️ New MC (3 months old) - verify identity
   📞 [phone]

3. Reefer, $3,100, Pickup Dec 20
   ❌ MC not found in FMCSA - potential fraud

Reply '[#] details' for more | 'vet MC#XXXX' to check carrier

Cron Setup (Auto-Scan Every 10 Minutes)

# Add to crontab (crontab -e):
*/10 * * * * cd /path/to/skills/freight-load-scanner/scripts && python3 dat_scanner.py --origin "Los Angeles, CA" --dest "New York, NY" >> /tmp/freight-scan.log 2>&1

FMCSA Fraud Red Flags

• MC number not found in FMCSA database
• MC issued less than 6 months ago
• Carrier contact phone/email doesn't match FMCSA registration
• Active Out-of-Service (OOS) orders
• Unsatisfactory safety rating

Integrations

This skill uses the following external services. See INTEGRATIONS.md for detailed setup instructions, API documentation links, and implementation guidance.

Service	Purpose	Section in INTEGRATIONS.md
DAT Load Board API	Find available freight loads	Skill 1: DAT Load Board API
Truckstop API	Alternative load board source	Skill 1: Truckstop API
123Loadboard API	Third load board option	Skill 1: 123Loadboard API
FMCSA SAFER API	Carrier compliance verification	Skill 1: FMCSA SAFER API
Carrier411	Enhanced carrier vetting (future)	Skill 1: Carrier411
Twilio	SMS notifications to broker	Shared Infrastructure: Twilio

References

• See references/api-setup.md for DAT and FMCSA API registration guides
• See INTEGRATIONS.md for complete integration architecture