DOT Number Lookup
The DOT number lookup tool searches USDOT and MC numbers against public FMCSA records and returns a clear carrier profile — operating authority, safety rating, fleet size, and insurance status — built for shippers, brokers, and trucking companies verifying carriers before doing business.
Free DOT & MC Number Lookup Tool
Search by USDOT number, MC number, or company name. Results are sourced from FMCSA public records.
How the DOT Number Lookup Works
This tool queries the same public FMCSA records available through the SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) system ↗ and translates raw fields into a readable carrier profile — operating authority, safety rating, fleet size, and insurance status — without requiring you to interpret codes or navigate multiple government pages.
What Gets Searched
- ›USDOT number — the federal carrier registration number
- ›MC (Motor Carrier) number — operating authority docket number
- ›Legal business name or DBA — matched against FMCSA registration records
- ›Results pull current authority, safety, and insurance fields on file with FMCSA
What You Get Back
- ›Plain-language operating authority status (Active, Inactive, Revoked)
- ›Safety rating, where one has been formally assigned
- ›Fleet size — power units and driver count as reported on the MCS-150
- ›Insurance-on-file indicator and basic contact/address information
What Is a USDOT Number?
A USDOT number is the identifier FMCSA assigns to a company when it registers as a motor carrier, broker, freight forwarder, or intermodal equipment provider. FMCSA uses it to track safety data, inspection history, and compliance status for that specific entity. It stays with the company, not with an individual truck or trailer.
Federal rule requires a USDOT number for a company operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce if the vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more, is designed to transport 8 or more passengers for compensation (or 15 or more not for compensation), or carries hazardous materials in a quantity that requires placarding. Many states also require a USDOT number for qualifying intrastate operations, so a company that never crosses a state line may still need one under state law.
A USDOT number is not proof that a company is currently authorized to haul freight. It only confirms the company is registered in FMCSA’s system. Operating authority is a separate status, covered below.
How to Do a DOT Number Lookup
- 1Go to FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov, or the FMCSA QCMobile portal.
- 2Choose a search method: USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name.
- 3Enter the number exactly as issued, or the company’s legal or DBA name.
- 4Open the Company Snapshot for the matching record.
- 5Review the operating status, safety rating, fleet size, and address fields against what you were told by the carrier or driver.
If you’re searching by name, expect multiple results. Trucking companies frequently share similar names across different states, and a single owner sometimes registers several related entities. Confirm the match using the address and USDOT number before relying on anything in the record. When you only have a company name, ask the carrier directly for its USDOT number where possible — a direct number match avoids the ambiguity a name search carries.
How to Check a Carrier's FMCSA Operating Status
FMCSA reports operating authority status separately for property, passenger, and household goods carriage. Common status values include:
The carrier currently holds valid operating authority for that category.
Authority has lapsed, often from a missed biennial update, unpaid fees, or a lapse in required insurance filings.
FMCSA formally revoked the authority, typically after a compliance or insurance failure.
The carrier has never held authority in that category, or it was never granted.
A carrier can show Active operating authority and still not have a formal safety rating — those are two separate fields, covered in the safety section below.
A separate field flags whether FMCSA has placed the carrier’s entire operation out of service, distinct from a single truck being placed out of service during a roadside inspection. A company-wide out-of-service order means the carrier is prohibited from operating any commercial motor vehicle, and the record shows the date the order took effect. Freight should not move under that carrier’s authority while this flag is active.
Legal Name, Fleet Size, Address, and Classification
The Company Snapshot lists the legal business name FMCSA has on file, along with any DBA name registered separately. Invoices and insurance certificates sometimes use a DBA that doesn’t match the legal entity — if the names don’t line up, ask the carrier to explain the relationship before assuming it’s the same company.
Power unit and driver counts come from the carrier’s MCS-150 biennial update, filed every 24 months. Because carriers only refile every two years unless something changes, the count can be a year or more out of date. The MCS-150 form date shown in the record tells you how recent that number is.
The physical address shows the carrier’s principal place of business, separate from any mailing address. It determines which state’s intrastate rules may apply and is one of the fastest ways to catch a name-search false match, since near-identical company names are rarely headquartered at the same address.
The record classifies a carrier as interstate or intrastate, and as for-hire or private. A for-hire carrier generally needs both a USDOT number and an MC number for regulated interstate freight. A private carrier hauling its own goods typically needs only a USDOT number.
Checking Safety-Related Information
Safety ratings only tell part of the story — most carriers have never had a full compliance review. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) ↗ tracks ongoing inspection and crash data even for unrated carriers, and is worth checking alongside this lookup for a fuller picture.
The carrier was audited and met FMCSA safety fitness standards at the time of review. This is the best possible formal rating.
The carrier does not meet all safety standards but is not severe enough to warrant an Unsatisfactory rating. Worth additional scrutiny before booking.
The carrier failed to meet minimum safety standards. Carriers with this rating are generally prohibited from operating commercial vehicles.
Most carriers show Not Rated because FMCSA only assigns a formal rating after a full compliance review, and the large majority of carriers have never been audited. Not Rated is not itself a warning sign — review inspection and out-of-service history instead.
DOT Number vs. MC Number
A USDOT number identifies the carrier for safety and compliance tracking and is required for most commercial carriers meeting the weight, passenger, or hazmat thresholds described above. An MC number is a separate operating authority number, issued to carriers that transport regulated commodities or passengers for hire in interstate commerce. A private carrier hauling its own freight, or a carrier that only hauls commodities exempt from operating authority requirements (such as unprocessed agricultural products), can hold a USDOT number with no MC number at all. A carrier can also lose its MC number’s authority status while its USDOT number stays registered, which is why the two need to be checked separately rather than treated as interchangeable.
A DOT number lookup and an MC number lookup pull from the same FMCSA systems and often return the same Company Snapshot, since SAFER links a carrier’s USDOT and MC records together. The distinction matters mainly when a carrier holds one but not the other, or when authority under the MC number has been revoked while the USDOT registration remains active.
How Brokers, Shippers, and Owner-Operators Use This Lookup
Brokers and Shippers
Before booking a load with a new carrier, confirm the USDOT number the carrier provided matches the legal name on the paperwork, check that operating authority for the applicable category is Active, confirm there’s no active out-of-service order, and note whether insurance is shown on file. None of these checks replace a certificate of insurance obtained directly from the carrier’s insurer, but they narrow down which carriers deserve a closer look before freight changes hands.
Owner-Operators
Pull your own Company Snapshot the same way a broker would, to confirm the legal name, address, and power unit count match current reality. Since brokers and shippers use this exact record to make go/no-go decisions, an outdated address or an authority status showing Inactive due to a missed biennial update can cost you freight opportunities even when the underlying business is fine.
What to Do if Your DOT Information Is Wrong
If a legal name, address, fleet count, or other MCS-150 field is incorrect, correct it by filing an updated Biennial Update (MCS-150) through the FMCSA Portal, under the Registration tab, using the company’s Login.gov credentials. This is the same process used for the routine 24-month update and can be filed any time information changes, not only when the biennial deadline arrives. If you can’t access your account, FMCSA’s Contact Center can help recover Portal access. Filing directly with FMCSA is free; third-party filing services that charge a fee are not required to make a correction.
Common Mistakes and When to Treat a Record as a Warning Sign
Common Lookup Mistakes
- ›Searching the wrong carrier — picking the first name-search result without checking the address.
- ›Confusing USDOT and MC numbers, which are issued separately and serve different purposes.
- ›Relying on outdated information — power units and address can be up to two years old.
- ›Assuming Active authority covers everything, when property and passenger authority are tracked separately.
- ›Ignoring out-of-service and safety data that sits one click away from the summary view.
- ›Failing to verify the exact legal company name against a DBA used on invoices.
Treat a record as a reason to slow down when authority shows Revoked or Not Authorized for the category you need, when a company-wide out-of-service order is active, when the MCS-150 date is years old and the fleet size looks inconsistent with the load being bid, or when the legal name doesn’t match the name on the carrier’s insurance certificate or rate confirmation. None of these alone proves wrongdoing, but each is a reason to verify directly with the carrier before moving freight or signing a contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official FMCSA & Government Resources
This tool is built on public FMCSA data. These are the authoritative original sources.
Related DOT Compliance Tools and Guides
After verifying a carrier's authority and safety status, these tools and guides cover the rest of the compliance picture.
Verify Electronic Logging Device compliance requirements
Estimate FMCSA Safety Measurement System BASIC scores
Track CDL renewal deadlines by state
Track DOT annual driving record review due dates
Estimate out-of-service order risk before roadside inspections
Everything needed to start operating under your own DOT authority
Who needs a USDOT number and when it’s required
How long it takes to get MC operating authority approved
August 19, 2026 — Data sourced live from the FMCSA QCMobile API
FMCSA public carrier registration and safety records (SAFER / QCMobile)
Raw FMCSA fields are normalized into plain-language authority and safety status categories described on this page.
Disclaimer: This tool is for informational purposes only and reflects FMCSA public records at the time of lookup, which may lag real-world changes by days or weeks. For decisions with legal or financial consequences (e.g. carrier selection, freight contracts), verify directly at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov ↗ and consult a qualified transportation or compliance professional.