Driver assignment
Driver assignment is the first moment a real carrier, and a person driving its truck, is attached to your order. Get the MC or USDOT number before the keys change hands. The broker's name is not that assignment.
Driver assignment is dispatch becoming a person. A carrier has accepted the car, and someone will arrive with a truck. You should receive the carrier's legal name and docket, not only a first name. Owner-operators haul under a carrier's authority. The authority you check is the carrier's, even if the driver owns the tractor.
What to ask before the keys move
Ask for the MC number and look it up. Confirm the pickup window and the amount still due. If a different company appears, read the substitution clause. A clause that allows a substitute still requires the new carrier's docket. A clause that does not allow it means you can refuse the handoff.
How it differs from booking
Booking is the broker taking your order. Assignment is a carrier taking the load. Many price increases happen in the gap between the two. RideShipper does not assign drivers.