Carrier Assure CEO Cassandra Gaines releases BAVRA Standard for shipper broker risk assessment

Published Aug 5, 12:00 PM UTC

Carrier Assure CEO Cassandra Gaines has released the BAVRA Standard (Broker Assessment, Verification, Risk and Accountability), a 34-page framework designed to help shippers establish a reasonable and defensible process for selecting and monitoring freight brokers, forwarders, and managed transportation providers. The standard is a companion to the earlier CAVRA Standard for motor carrier selection. BAVRA addresses what Gaines sees as a blind spot in transportation risk management: many shippers perform limited due diligence before entrusting freight to brokers. The framework encourages shippers to establish written qualification standards, monitor performance, investigate warning signs, and audit broker practices, while allowing brokers to remain independently responsible for carrier selection. It emphasizes evaluating decisions based on information available at the time, not just outcomes of accidents or claims. Gaines also highlights pickup verification at loading docks as a critical risk area often overlooked.