Legal

The Cairn File — Terms and Conditions

Effective date: October 26, 2026
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Version: 1.2

1. Who we are and who may use the Service

Cairn Logistics LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, provides The Cairn File (“Service”). In these Terms and Conditions (“Terms”), “Cairn,” “we,” and “us” mean Cairn Logistics LLC.

The subscribing business is the “Customer.” Its account owner and authorized members are its “Users.” “You” means the Customer and its Users, as applicable.

The Service is for businesses in the United States, including freight brokers, third-party logistics companies, and motor carriers. It is not for consumers or anyone under 18.

By subscribing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. Anyone accepting them for a business confirms that they have authority to act for that business. The Customer must authorize its Users.

These Terms cover the documentation software only. Any freight services Cairn offers are governed by separate agreements. A shipment inquiry does not create a freight-services agreement. Submitting an Enterprise inquiry does not create a subscription or any other agreement.

2. What The Cairn File does

The Service helps you record how you checked and selected a carrier for a load and when information was recorded.

You create the record through seven steps: load details, carrier lookup, insurance, identity, standards, rationale, and review and seal.

Cairn records your entries, retrieves FMCSA information when requested, compares recorded information with your selected standard, and generates a tamper-evident PDF.

Cairn does not vet, screen, rate, approve, or recommend carriers. It does not verify that your entries are true, set your standard, or make your carrier-selection decisions.

The Cairn File records the information you relied on when selecting a carrier and when it was recorded. It is not a guarantee of any carrier’s safety, performance or insurance, and it is not legal advice.

The Service does not determine whether your practices meet a law, contract, insurance requirement, or standard of care. It does not guarantee any legal, regulatory, insurance, safety, or litigation outcome.

3. Your standard and selection decisions

Cairn publishes a free sample carrier-vetting standard and pre-fills sample minimums in the tool.

These are examples only. Cairn does not set, recommend, or enforce a carrier-vetting standard. You must review, adopt, and maintain your own standard.

“Meets,” “Does not meet,” and “Needs info” describe comparisons between recorded information and your selected standard. They do not mean Cairn has approved a carrier or confirmed the information.

You are responsible for your carrier selections, shipments, freight operations, and applicable legal and contractual requirements.

4. Information you enter

You are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of your entries and for performing the checks you describe.

Enter only true information. Do not invent checks, backdate information, or describe an event as completed when it did not happen.

The app’s timestamps show when information or an action was recorded in the app. They do not establish when the real-world event occurred.

You must have the right to submit the information and documents you provide, including information about carrier contacts, insurance agents, and other people.

5. Carrier information and FMCSA

Cairn retrieves carrier information through the FMCSA QCMobile API and reads the carrier’s phone number from the public FMCSA SAFER company snapshot page.

Only the USDOT or MC number is sent to FMCSA. Cairn makes a fresh lookup for each file and shows when the data was retrieved.

FMCSA information is presented as returned at that moment. Cairn does not independently verify it or keep it current after retrieval. FMCSA does not endorse Cairn.

If FMCSA is unavailable, you may enter fields manually. The app, activity log, and PDF label those entries “FMCSA unavailable — entered manually.”

You remain responsible for deciding whether information is accurate, sufficient, and appropriate to rely on.

6. Activity logs, timestamps, and sealing

Recorded actions use Cairn’s server time in UTC, not your device time.

The activity log adds entries rather than removing them. Each entry includes a fingerprint of the preceding entry, making changes or omissions detectable.

To seal a file, the required carrier information, standards comparison, rationale, and completing person’s name must be recorded. Completion of these fields is not an assessment of the quality or sufficiency of your checks.

At sealing:

If the timestamp authority cannot be reached, the file is not sealed. No sealed file is counted for that failed attempt.

A sealed file cannot be edited or unsealed in the app. There is no correction feature. Review your record before sealing.

7. Supporting documents

You may attach PDF, PNG, or JPG documents.

Included supporting documents appear as readable pages at the end of the completed PDF and are also embedded as attachments in their original file formats. Both are covered by the sealed file's fingerprint, so any change to either makes the file fail verification. W-9 documents are excluded unless you choose to include them. Included supporting documents can total up to 15 MB, and each document can be up to 10 MB.

For these document limits, 1 MB means 1,048,576 bytes. The limits apply to the size of the source documents, not the completed PDF. Excluded W-9s do not count toward the 15 MB total. Section 8 explains what each fingerprint covers.

If a password-protected or damaged PDF cannot be displayed as readable pages, a divider page explains the limitation. Its original file remains attached.

Documents kept in one device’s browser are not automatically available on another device. To include such a document while sealing on another device, you must select the original again. Otherwise, the record lists its name and fingerprint and marks it “not included.”

A document listed as “not included” is not available inside the completed PDF.

8. What the seal and verification establish

The independent timestamp and Cairn’s signature cover the record fingerprint. The record includes fingerprints of original supporting documents.

Separately, Cairn stores a fingerprint of the completed PDF. This covers the entire PDF, including readable document pages and embedded originals. Changing any byte of the PDF makes it fail the PDF-fingerprint comparison.

The completed PDF’s fingerprint is not independently timestamped. Do not interpret the independent timestamp as directly covering the rendered document pages.

The PDF is tamper-evident, not tamper-proof. It is not a PDF-standard digitally signed document, and PDF readers will not display a document-signature indicator.

Verification checks whether the PDF matches its recorded fingerprint and provides information about the timestamp and Cairn’s signature. It does not prove that entries are true, documents are authentic, checks occurred, or a carrier was suitable.

The public verification page does not show the record’s contents or who sealed it. When a visitor selects a PDF, the browser calculates its fingerprint without uploading the PDF.

Verification is available regardless of account status while the verification service operates and the seal record is retained.

9. Browser copies and server processing

Cairn’s server temporarily receives documents for checking and fingerprinting, then discards them. It does not store document files.

Your browser keeps local copies on the device used to attach them, so they can be included in the sealed PDF. Cairn cannot see or reach them.

Copies are deleted from that browser right after the file is sealed there. Otherwise, the app deletes them the next time any Cairn File page is opened in that browser once they are 30 days old (counted from when the document was attached), and when you open your file list after the draft they belong to has been sealed, deleted or expired. Copies on a device where Cairn is never opened again stay in that browser until you clear your browser's data for app.cairnlogistics.com.

At sealing, your browser sends the documents to Cairn. The server checks them against their recorded fingerprints, includes the selected documents in the PDF, and retains no document files.

Protect devices used for the Service. On a shared computer, document copies may remain in that browser until they are deleted as described above.

10. Completed PDFs and retention

Cairn does not store completed PDFs. The PDF is generated and sent directly to your browser.

At sealing, Cairn deletes the draft, its log, and its attachment details from the active database. Unsealed drafts are deleted after 30 days without activity.

Cairn retains a limited seal record for each sealed file for seven years from sealing, or until Cairn discontinues the Service, whichever comes first. It includes identifiers, record and PDF fingerprints, timestamp and signature information, and download, email, and billing-related event information. It does not contain the completed record’s substantive contents.

Users can also download the account's fingerprint records at any time from the Account page.

Seven years is Cairn’s retention choice, not advice about how long you must retain records.

Deleted database information may remain temporarily in Cloudflare’s restoration history as described in the Privacy Policy.

You are responsible for downloading and preserving your completed PDF. Keep any original documents you need, including documents excluded from the PDF. Cairn cannot recover a lost completed file.

11. Email copies

If you request “Email me a copy,” your browser sends the completed PDF to Cairn. Cairn confirms that it matches the seal and passes it to Postmark for delivery to your signed-in email address.

The email copy contains the readable supporting-document pages and original-file attachments included in the PDF. This includes a W-9 if you chose to include it.

Cairn does not retain the PDF. Postmark retains sent messages under the settings described in the Privacy Policy.

Completed PDFs larger than 7 MB (7,000,000 bytes) cannot be emailed through the Service. They can still be downloaded when generated.

Email delivery is not a substitute for downloading and preserving your file.

12. Accounts and sign-in

An account is created after the Customer completes Stripe checkout.

An Enterprise account is set up after Enterprise pricing is agreed. It then works the same way as any other account.

Users sign in through a one-time email link. The link works once and expires after 15 minutes. There are no passwords.

Sessions last 30 days and extend with use. Users can view active sessions, sign out, and sign out everywhere.

The account owner manages billing and team membership. Members use the tool but cannot view billing. Removing a member ends their sessions immediately. The owner may sign out all account Users.

Keep your email account and devices secure. Notify hello@cairnlogistics.com of suspected unauthorized use.

Accounts cannot be transferred. If a Customer sells its business, the buyer must open its own account. Before the seller's account ends, its owner can download the account's fingerprint records and give the buyer any sealed PDFs. Those PDFs remain verifiable on the public verification page.

The Customer is responsible for its authorized Users’ use of the Service.

13. Plans and usage

Plans. Current prices are shown on our pricing page. On the effective date of these Terms there is one plan, in U.S. dollars:

Monthly priceAnnual price
First user$99$990
Each additional user$19$190

The plan includes unlimited sealed files, subject to the fair use paragraph below.

Launch rate. The prices above are a limited-time launch rate. If you start a subscription, including a free trial, by 11:59 pm U.S. Eastern Time on December 31, 2026, the launch rate applies to your account for as long as that subscription stays active, including users you add later and changes between monthly and annual billing. The section 15 price-change notice does not apply to the launch rate while it lasts. If the subscription ends for any reason, including cancellation or failed payment, the launch rate ends with it, and any new subscription is at the prices shown on our pricing page at that time. Taxes are not part of the launch rate and may change.

Users. Each person who uses the Tool needs their own user seat and their own sign-in. Sign-ins may not be shared. The account owner adds or removes users on the Account page in the Tool, which shows the new price before you confirm. A user added during a billing period is charged a prorated amount for the rest of that period. No charge is made during the free trial, or when the new user takes a seat that is already on your plan or already paid for in the current period. Removing a user lowers the price from your next renewal, with no refund or credit for the rest of the current period.

Sealed files. You may seal as many files as your business needs. Drafts are never charged.

Fair use. Unlimited sealing covers files your users prepare in the Tool for your own business's loads. It does not cover sealing by automated means, sealing on behalf of other businesses, or reselling the Tool. If your use falls outside this, we will contact you before we limit sealing.

Billing. Plan fees are billed in advance for each month or year. Payments are processed by Stripe. By adding a payment method you authorize us to charge it for the plan fee when your trial ends and at each renewal, for users you add, and for any applicable taxes. Cairn does not receive or store full card numbers.

Changing billing interval. The account owner can switch between monthly and annual billing on the Account page. The change takes effect immediately: a new billing period starts that day, the unused part of the current period is credited, and any difference is charged then.

Self-serve accounts can have up to 10 users.

Enterprise. Enterprise is for teams with more than 10 Users. Enterprise pricing is custom. It is set after a discovery call and agreed in writing, in an order form or other written agreement (an “Enterprise Agreement”). Enterprise is not sold online and has no self-serve checkout. To ask about Enterprise, use the inquiry form at cairnlogistics.com/enterprise or email hello@cairnlogistics.com.

These Terms apply to Enterprise Customers unless their Enterprise Agreement says otherwise.

Unless the Enterprise Agreement says otherwise, Enterprise accounts follow the same rules as other accounts for payment, failed payments, billing changes, cancellation and refunds (Sections 15 and 16).

Enterprise accounts do not include an automatic free trial. Any trial or pilot period is agreed in writing in the Enterprise Agreement.

14. Trial and automatic renewal

The plan begins with a 14-day free trial. A card is required at sign-up.

During the trial, you may seal up to 10 files.

At the end of the trial, your card is automatically charged the plan price for your users unless you cancel before the trial ends.

Subscriptions then renew automatically each month or year, according to your selected billing interval, until cancelled.

Before your trial ends, Stripe emails the account owner a reminder that the trial is ending and the card will be charged.

Before a yearly subscription renews, Stripe emails the account owner a renewal reminder.

The selected price and automatic-renewal terms appear at checkout.

15. Payments and failed payments

Stripe handles card payments. Cairn does not receive or store card numbers.

You authorize the subscription charges described at checkout, in these Terms, or in your Enterprise Agreement.

If a payment fails, the account initially remains usable and displays a notice asking the owner to update the card. Stripe retries for approximately 14 days. If payment still fails, the subscription is cancelled and the account is locked.

Cairn gives 30 days’ notice by email of price changes. Changes apply from the next billing period after the notice period. Accounts on the launch rate (section 13) keep it as described there.

16. Cancellation and refunds

Cancel through the Stripe billing portal, opened using “Manage billing” in the app.

Paid cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period. You keep access until then, and the subscription does not renew.

Cancel before the trial ends to avoid the initial subscription charge.

When a subscription ends, including after a failed payment, Cairn emails the account owner. For 15 days after the end date, Users can still sign in to download the account's fingerprint records: the file ID, fingerprints, seal time, timestamp token and signature for every file the account sealed. Users cannot create, edit or seal files during that time. The owner can restart the subscription at any time before the 15 days end.

After those 15 days, sign-in ends and Cairn deletes the account, its Users, sessions, any remaining drafts and usage records. Seal records are kept as described in Section 10.

Previously downloaded sealed PDFs remain verifiable through the public verification page while the relevant seal record and service remain available.

No refund is given for a billing period in which the account sealed at least one file, except where required by law or under Section 22.

Monthly plans: if the account sealed no files in a monthly billing period, you may ask for a refund of that month's subscription charge.

Monthly refund requests must be made within 15 days of the charge.

Yearly plans: you may ask for a refund of the yearly subscription charge only within the first 30 days of the paid yearly subscription, and only if the account sealed no files in that time. No refund is given for a yearly plan after those 30 days.

Request refunds at hello@cairnlogistics.com.

17. Customer information and software rights

You retain your rights in the information and documents you submit and your completed records, subject to third-party rights.

You permit Cairn to process your information to operate the Service, generate and deliver files, send requested email copies, and maintain seal records for verification.

The Service is provided for your authorized business use. Your subscription does not transfer ownership of Cairn’s software or authorize resale.

Cairn does not sell personal information, share it for advertising, or use customer content to train AI models.

18. Acceptable use and suspension

Do not:

W-9 forms may contain Social Security or taxpayer numbers. Include them only when necessary and review and redact unnecessary sensitive information.

Anyone you share the PDF with may read its document pages and extract its original attachments. Store and share it with appropriate care.

Cairn may suspend access for misuse or nonpayment.

19. Warranty disclaimer

Except for the express commitments in these Terms, the Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Cairn disclaims implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement to the extent permitted by law.

Cairn does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or currency of FMCSA information or information you provide.

Cairn does not warrant any carrier’s safety, performance, insurance, or suitability, or any legal, regulatory, insurance, or litigation outcome.

This section does not override express commitments in these Terms or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

20. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Cairn is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or lost profits, revenue, business opportunities, or data arising from the Service or these Terms.

Cairn’s total liability for claims arising from the Service or these Terms will not exceed the greater of:

These exclusions and limits do not apply to Cairn’s fraud or willful misconduct, or liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

21. Customer indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, the Customer will defend and indemnify Cairn against third-party claims, damages, and reasonable legal costs arising from the Customer’s carrier selections, shipments, submitted content, or breach of these Terms.

This obligation does not cover the portion of a claim caused by Cairn’s own negligence, breach of these Terms, fraud, or willful misconduct.

Cairn will notify the Customer and reasonably cooperate in the defense. The Customer may not settle a claim in a way that imposes an admission or obligation on Cairn without Cairn’s written consent.

Cairn may respond to legally binding requests. Where the law permits, Cairn will notify the affected Customer.

For completed files, Cairn holds seal records rather than PDFs or original documents. Cairn may also hold unsealed drafts, account information, and other information described in the Privacy Policy. It can produce only information it actually holds.

To the extent permitted by law, the Customer will reimburse reasonable response costs for legal requests concerning the Customer’s matters. This does not apply to requests principally concerning alleged wrongdoing by Cairn.

If Cairn discontinues the Service, it will give at least 30 days’ notice by email, so you can download your fingerprint records, and will refund prepaid unused subscription fees pro rata.

Cairn will not keep seal records or run the verification service after the Service is discontinued. Download and keep your fingerprint records before then.

Do not assume the online verification service will remain available after discontinuation.

23. Changes, disputes, and notices

Cairn gives account owners 30 days’ notice by email before material changes to these Terms take effect. Continued use after the effective date means acceptance. Each version has a number and date.

North Carolina law governs these Terms, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.

Disputes must be brought in state courts in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, or federal courts serving Mecklenburg County, subject to applicable jurisdiction requirements.

These Terms do not require arbitration or contain a class-action waiver or jury-trial waiver.

If Cairn is sold, merges with another company, or transfers its business, Cairn may transfer these Terms and Customer accounts and information to the new owner. Cairn will email account owners before the transfer. If you do not want your account transferred, you can cancel your subscription before the transfer takes effect.

Cairn sends notices to the account owner’s email. Keep it current.

Contact:

Cairn Logistics LLC 3540 Toringdon Way, Suite 201 Charlotte, NC 28277 hello@cairnlogistics.com