Privacy Policy

Cargo and Critters, LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") is a nationally licensed transport and logistics company headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States. We operate commercial freight services and a dedicated animal transport division (the "Critter Care" division) serving customers across all 50 states.

This Privacy Policy applies to all services offered through our website at cargoandcritters.com, our customer portal, mobile apps, phone services, and any related digital or physical services where we collect personal information.

We collect information in two primary ways: directly from you when you engage with our services, and automatically through your use of our digital platforms. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of what we may collect.

• Identity Information: Full name, date of birth, government-issued ID details (when required for animal transport compliance).
• Contact Details: Email address, phone number, mailing and billing address.
• Account Credentials: Username and encrypted password for your customer portal account.
• Shipment Information: Origin, destination, cargo description, weight, dimensions, declared value, and special handling instructions.
• Animal Transport Records: Species, breed, age, veterinary health certificate details, vaccination records, and special care instructions provided for animal shipments.
• Payment Information: Credit/debit card numbers, billing details, and bank account information (processed through PCI-DSS compliant payment processors — we do not store full card numbers).
• Communications: Messages, emails, call recordings (with consent), and support tickets you submit to us.
• Feedback & Reviews: Survey responses, ratings, and any testimonials you voluntarily submit.

• Device Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent, links clicked, search queries on our site, and referring URLs.
• Location Data: General location derived from IP address; precise GPS data only when you use our shipment tracking features with permission.
• Vehicle & Fleet Telemetry: Real-time GPS coordinates of shipments, vehicle speed, route data — used exclusively for tracking and safety purposes.
• Cookie & Tracking Data: See Section 5 for full details.

We use the information we collect for specific, legitimate purposes only. We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes — ever. Here is how we use your data:

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share it with the following categories of parties only as necessary to provide our services, comply with the law, or protect our legitimate interests:

• Carrier & Driver Partners: Independent contractors and partner carriers involved in the physical transport of your freight or animals. They receive only the information necessary to complete your shipment.
• Veterinary Partners: Licensed veterinarians and animal care professionals in our emergency vet network, who may receive animal health records in the event of a welfare situation during transport.
• Payment Processors: PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processors (e.g., Stripe, Braintree) who handle payment transactions. They are prohibited from using your data for any other purpose.
• Technology Service Providers: Cloud hosting, analytics, customer relationship management, and email platform providers operating under strict data processing agreements.
• Regulatory Authorities: USDA, DOT, FMCSA, U.S. Customs, and other government agencies as required by law for animal transport permits, freight documentation, and safety compliance.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information in response to valid legal process (court orders, subpoenas), to protect our rights, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent harm or illegal activity.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy commitments.

We use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve our website and to personalize your experience. Here is what we use and why:

Managing Cookies: You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our Cookie Preferences Center (available via the cookie banner on first visit). Disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality. Analytics and marketing cookies can be disabled without impacting core services.

We implement industry-leading security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our security program includes:

• Encryption in Transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS 1.3 (HTTPS). Connections using older, insecure protocols are rejected.
• Encryption at Rest: Sensitive personal information stored in our databases is encrypted using AES-256 encryption.
• Access Controls: Role-based access controls ensure employees can only access data necessary for their job function. Access logs are maintained and audited quarterly.
• PCI-DSS Compliance: We do not store payment card data on our servers. All payment processing is handled by certified Level 1 PCI-DSS processors.
• Regular Security Audits: We engage third-party security firms to conduct annual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments.
• Breach Response: In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you within 72 hours as required by applicable law, and provide guidance on protective actions.

Depending on your state of residence, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information. We honor these rights for all US residents regardless of whether your state has a specific privacy law in effect.

• Submit a written request to privacy@cargoandcritters.com with the subject line "Privacy Rights Request."
• Call our Privacy Hotline at 1-800-CAC-PRIV (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM CT).
• Log in to your account portal and navigate to Account Settings → Privacy Controls for self-service options.

We will verify your identity before processing any request and will respond within 45 days (extendable by an additional 45 days with notice). We will not charge a fee for reasonable requests. We may deny requests that are manifestly unfounded, excessive, or conflict with our legal obligations.

Our services are not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Our website and customer portal require users to be at least 18 years of age to register for an account or place a shipment order.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@cargoandcritters.com. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information from our records in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Our general retention schedules are:

When your data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymize it. Anonymized, aggregated data that cannot identify you may be retained indefinitely for statistical and research purposes.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, partner portals, or embedded services (such as payment gateways, mapping tools, or social media platforms) that are not operated by Cargo & Critters. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party services.

We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. We strongly encourage you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit before providing any personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other operational factors. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.

For material changes — those that significantly affect your rights or how we handle your data — we will provide prominent notice by:

• Sending an email notification to the address associated with your account at least 30 days before the changes take effect.
• Displaying a prominent banner on our website for at least 30 days prior to the effective date.
• For significant changes affecting animal health data or payment information, we may request your renewed consent before continuing service.

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with any changes, you may close your account by contacting us at privacy@cargoandcritters.com.