How do you vet a carrier before you hand it a full truckload from Poznań to Lyon or from Łódź to Milan? You can do it yourself, with public registers and the carrier’s own documents.
This guide is for shippers outside Poland who hire a Polish or other EU road carrier. You go through six checks in order, then compare the results, and learn how to read each one.
Still looking for a company? Start with how to find a carrier and book road freight.
Why you vet a carrier before you send the order
From the moment of loading, your goods are in the carrier’s hands. A poor choice can mean goods that never arrive, a dispute over the invoice or a refused claim.
Carrier due diligence takes a few register searches and a few questions about documents. Each check answers a different question: a valid VAT number says nothing about a licence, and a licence says nothing about insurance.
How to vet a carrier, step by step
Go through these steps in order, because each one uses details from the one before.
- Company identity in CEIDG or KRS.
- Trading history and references: the register entry date and feedback from other shippers.
- VAT status and bank account on the Polish white list, and the VAT number in VIES.
- Permit and EU community licence in KREPTD.
- OCP policy from the carrier’s documents.
- Vehicle, driver and documents on the day of loading.
Then you compare all the details with each other. Registers are described as of 2 November 2026, and most Polish ones are in Polish only, so always rely on the current search result.
Company identity: CEIDG or KRS
To verify a trucking company in Poland, find its register entry. CEIDG lists sole traders and civil-law partnerships, and KRS, the National Court Register, lists commercial companies.
Enter the NIP (the Polish tax identification number) from the offer and compare the name, address and status. A suspended or deleted entry is a reason to hold the order.
For a company, check in KRS who may represent it and compare that with the person who signs the order.
Where to check: The company search on biznes.gov.pl covers CEIDG and KRS, and the KRS search of the Ministry of Justice covers companies.
Trading history: how long the company has traded
In the same CEIDG or KRS entry, check the date the business started or the date it was entered in the register. A recent entry does not rule a carrier out, but with valuable goods it is a reason to ask about its experience.
Ask for references from other shippers too, ideally on a similar route and with similar goods. Call them and ask about punctuality, paperwork and invoicing.
VAT status: the white list and VIES
The white list (wykaz podatników VAT) is the Polish register of VAT taxpayers, kept by the National Revenue Administration. You search it by NIP, bank account number or name, for a chosen date.
Check the VAT status and that the account on the invoice is listed for that company, before each transfer. Private “white lists” of transport firms are not this official register.
VIES, run by the European Commission, shows whether a VAT number from any EU country is valid for trade between EU countries. According to Your Europe, an “invalid” result can mean the number is not yet activated for such trade, so ask the carrier to explain.
Where to check: The white list of VAT taxpayers and its description by the National Revenue Administration, VIES and the VIES guide on Your Europe.
Authorisation: permit and EU community licence
For international haulage, an EU carrier needs a community licence from the Member State where it is established. That state also issues a certified true copy for each vehicle, which must be kept in the vehicle (art. 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009).
The licence and its copies are recorded in that state’s national electronic register (art. 4(5)), so a carrier from another EU country is checked in its home register.
In Poland, the licence builds on a permit to pursue the occupation of road haulage operator. Both are issued by GITD, the Chief Inspectorate of Road Transport.
How do you run a community licence check? Enter the carrier’s NIP in KREPTD, the Polish register of road transport undertakings kept by GITD. Check the permit and community licence for the carriage of goods, their status and validity, then compare the licence number with the copy from the carrier.
If the register shows no valid licence, or the licence expires before your transport date, hold the order and ask the carrier why.
According to GITD, the public data includes the company’s name, address, NIP, permit number and number of vehicles, plus the serial numbers of the certified copies.
The register description does not list vehicle registration numbers. The KREPTD search page notes that its data comes from many sources and may differ.
The second source is the GITD register of valid administrative decisions: CSV files with valid goods licences and permits. They have no NIP, so you search the downloaded file by company name or licence number.
Where to check: The KREPTD search, the KREPTD description by GITD and the GITD register of valid administrative decisions.
Insurance: the carrier’s OCP policy
OCP is the Polish carrier’s liability insurance for damage to the goods it carries. It has no public register: the source is the policy copy and confirmation from the insurer.
Ask the carrier for a copy of the policy and proof that the premium is paid, then check:
- the policy period, which covers your transport date,
- the sum insured against the value of the goods,
- the territorial scope along the whole route, including transit countries,
- exclusions for your goods, for example electronics or reefer cargo,
- clauses on subcontractors, parking and release of goods to an unauthorised person.
Finally, ask the insurer whether the policy is in force. Write the policy requirement into your order terms, as shown in how to post a transport order online.
CMR liability limits and declaring the value of goods are covered in the guide to finding a carrier. The glossary of road transport terms explains OCP and CMR.
Loading day: vehicle, driver, documents
Before loading, compare the registration number and the driver’s details with the order. Ask to see the certified licence copy in the cab and compare its number with the register.
If a different truck or a driver from another company turns up, stop the loading and clear it up with the carrier. It may mean a subcontractor you never agreed to.
Check that the CMR consignment note is filled in and signed, and keep a copy with the order.
Final check: one company in every document
Finally, put the offer, the emails and the register results side by side. The name, VAT number, email domain, bank account and registration number should all point to the same company.
Before you send the order details, call the company on a number from its official website or from earlier work together. Treat the number in a new offer as an extra contact only.
Warning signs
Stop and ask questions before you send the order if:
- the company writes from a free email account instead of its own domain,
- the offer details do not match CEIDG, KRS or KREPTD,
- the rate is far from what you know on that route,
- the carrier pushes for a quick decision or prepayment,
- the carrier asks for payment to a new account that is not on the white list,
- the company, vehicle or loading place changes just before loading,
- the route crosses a border, but KREPTD shows no valid community licence.
How these risks look in different channels is covered in where order risks come from.
Carrier checklist
The whole check in one table. Save each result with its date, for example as a screenshot.
| What you check | What you look at | Source | What it confirms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company identity | Name, NIP, address, status | biznes.gov.pl, KRS | The company exists and is active. |
| Trading history | Entry date, feedback from other shippers | biznes.gov.pl, references from shippers | How long the company has traded and how it delivers. |
| VAT and account | VAT status, invoice account | White list of VAT taxpayers | The company is registered for VAT and the account is listed. |
| EU VAT number | Validity | VIES | The number is valid for intra-EU trade. |
| Permit and licence | Scope, number, status, validity | KREPTD, GITD register of valid decisions | The company may carry goods. |
| OCP policy | Period, sum, scope, exclusions | Policy copy and confirmation from the insurer (OCP has no public register) | The policy covers your transport. |
| Loading day | Plate, driver, licence copy, CMR | The order and documents in the vehicle | The company you booked collects the goods. |
Repeat the check after each policy or licence renewal and whenever the company’s details change.
Transport orders in ONYX: direct to the carrier, no commission
If you ship your own goods, for example as a manufacturer or distributor, you can add an order in ONYX and connect directly with a carrier. In ONYX, both sides of a transport order are verified.
ONYX charges no commission, so the carrier receives the full amount you pay. You set the maximum rate, and the system may find a carrier for less, never for more.
Orders are already in the system, with loading in Poland. We keep adding more countries and regions.
See how Transport orders for shippers work.
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
