Check calls
A check call is a status update the broker expects at set points: loaded, departed, at a set time each day, arrived. Some rate cons tie missed check calls to fines.
What rate cons ask for
Requirements vary: a call or message at pickup, at departure, once each morning, two hours before delivery, and on arrival. Some brokers accept an automatic tracking link instead; others want both. The useful details to pin down are who to contact, by what method (call, text, app, email), and what happens if the person doesn't answer.
When check calls become a penalty
A requirement to keep the broker informed is reasonable. A fixed fine for each missed call is different: it is charged even when the load is on time and nothing went wrong. Check-call fines are also hard to dispute, because the broker's own log is usually the only record. If you must make check calls, make them by text or in the broker's app so you have a timestamp.
Check calls and the phone rules
Federal rules prohibit a commercial driver from texting while driving and from using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, and they prohibit motor carriers from allowing or requiring either (49 CFR 392.80, 49 CFR 392.82). "Driving" includes being temporarily stopped in traffic or at a light; it doesn't include being pulled off the road where the truck can safely stay. A driver convicted twice within three years of the texting or hand-held phone rule is disqualified from driving a CMV for 60 days, and for 120 days after three or more (49 CFR 391.15). A check-call schedule should leave room to stop safely, or use automatic tracking instead.
What the Rate Con Checker flags
The checker looks for "check call" near words like "fine", "penalty", "deduct" or a dollar amount. If they appear together, it's a flag. A check-call requirement without a penalty is just a note, since keeping the broker informed is normal.
What to ask for
Please remove penalties for check calls.
If the broker needs updates, offer a tracking link or a fixed number of messages at stops. Those are easier to prove than phone calls and don't pull the driver onto the phone while moving.
Keep your own record
Save every update you send, with the time. If a fine shows up on your settlement, your messages and your ELD location history are the evidence that the update was made, or that the load was on time anyway.