Privacy Policy

Bear Shift Logistics LLC (“Bear Shift”, “we”, “us”) is a licensed property freight broker. This policy explains what information we collect when you contact us or use our services, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to bearshift.com, quote.bearshift.com, tms.bearshift.com, and to the email, SMS and WhatsApp messages we exchange with you.

1. Information we collect

We only collect what we need to quote, book and move freight.

We do not ask for or intentionally collect Social Security numbers, payment card numbers, health information, or any special categories of personal data. Please do not send them to us.

2. How we use it

• To prepare quotes and respond to your inquiries.
• To arrange, dispatch, track and document freight shipments.
• To verify carrier authority, insurance and safety records before assigning a load (fraud prevention and compliance with 49 CFR Part 371 and related FMCSA requirements).
• To issue rate confirmations, bills of lading and invoices, and to process payments.
• To keep records we are required to keep as a licensed broker.
• To improve our service and, where you have asked for it, to send you service updates.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decisions that produce legal effects about you.

3. SMS and WhatsApp messaging

Consent

We send SMS or WhatsApp messages only to people who have given us their mobile number and asked us to contact them there — for example by submitting a quote request, by messaging us first, or by asking a Bear Shift representative to follow up by text. Consent to receive messages is never a condition of any purchase or of doing business with us.

What we send

Messages are operational, not promotional: quote replies, load status and appointment updates, document requests, and answers to questions you asked. Message frequency varies with your shipping activity.

How to stop

Reply STOP to any message to opt out; you will receive a single confirmation and no further messages. Reply HELP for assistance, or contact us at Ac@bearshift.com or (425) 754-5008. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

4. Who we share information with

We share only what is necessary, and only with:

• Carriers and drivers assigned to your shipment — pickup and delivery details, contact at the facility, and the reference numbers needed to complete the load. Carriers never receive what you pay us.
• Shippers and consignees involved in the same shipment.
• Service providers that operate our systems on our behalf, bound to protect the data: our web host (Hostinger), our messaging providers (Twilio for SMS/WhatsApp; our email provider for email), and Anthropic, which processes message text so our assistant can draft a reply (see section 5).
• Public authority databases — we look up carriers in the FMCSA public registry. We send only the carrier's MC/USDOT number; we never send customer data there.
• Professional advisors, insurers and authorities when required by law, or to establish or defend a legal claim (for example, a cargo claim).

We do not sell or rent personal information to anyone.

5. Automated replies

To answer you faster, some incoming messages are processed by an AI assistant that reads your message and drafts a reply. Quotes it provides are non-binding estimates generated by our own pricing system. Messages involving claims, damage, payments, invoices, cancellations or legal matters are always routed to a person before anyone replies, and a Bear Shift employee can review any conversation at any time. You can ask to speak with a person at any point by replying to the message.

6. How long we keep it

• Shipment records, rate confirmations and bills of lading: at least three years, as required of licensed brokers under 49 CFR § 371.3.
• Cargo condition photos: 12 months, then deleted automatically.
• Messages (email, SMS, WhatsApp): kept while you are an active contact and for a reasonable period afterwards for claims and audit purposes.
• Opt-out records: kept indefinitely, so we do not message you again by mistake.

7. How we protect it

Access to our systems requires an individual account and password, is limited by role, and is logged. Data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), documents are stored outside the public web root, and we take regular backups. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your information safe and will notify you if a breach affecting your personal information occurs, as required by law.

8. Your choices and rights

You may ask us to access, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, or to stop contacting you. Write to Ac@bearshift.com and we will respond within 30 days. We may need to keep records that broker regulations require us to retain, and we will tell you if that is the case.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights (for example under the Washington My Health My Data Act or the California Consumer Privacy Act). We honor those requests regardless of where you are located.

Children

Our services are for businesses. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

Changes to this policy

If we make a material change we will update the effective date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you directly.

9. Contact us