- The checks in order
- The identifiers at a glance
- USDOT number: format and meaning
- MC, FF and MX docket numbers: operating authority
- SAFER Company Snapshot
- Licensing and Insurance (L&I) carrier search
- QCMobile API
- FMCSA bulk data: the Data Dissemination Program
- Safety rating and out-of-service orders
- Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)
- IRP apportioned registration
- IFTA fuel tax licence
- What a bad result looks like
- Questions people ask
The checks in order
- W-9 and TIN match. The carrier's legal name and TIN, matched against IRS records, and the owner-operator case where line 1 is the individual's name (see the logistics and freight industry page).
- USDOT number and the SAFER snapshot. The company exists in FMCSA's census, its operating status is active, and the legal name on the snapshot is the name on the W-9.
- Operating authority and insurance on L&I. The MC docket shows active common or contract authority, BIPD insurance is on file at or above the required amount, and a BOC-3 process agent is on file.
- Safety rating and out-of-service. No Unsatisfactory rating, no out-of-service order.
- UCR. Registered for the current year.
- IRP and IFTA. For a carrier you contract with directly and inspect, the apportioned cab card and the fuel tax decal; there is no national lookup for either.
The carrier onboarding packet puts these on one record with the three-name match worksheet (W-9, FMCSA, insurance) and the factoring notice-of-assignment log.
The identifiers at a glance
| Identifier | Format | Issued by | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDOT number | Numeric, sequential, up to seven digits, no check digit | FMCSA (MCMIS census) | The company is registered with FMCSA. Says nothing about authority: a private carrier has a USDOT number and no MC number. |
| MC, FF or MX docket number | Prefix plus sequential number, for example MC-123456 | FMCSA (L&I) | For-hire operating authority (MC), freight forwarder (FF) or Mexico-domiciled carrier (MX). Status is Active, Inactive or None by authority type. |
| UCR registration | No credential; registration is keyed to the USDOT number and year | UCR Plan through the national registration system at ucr.gov | The annual fee for the current year is paid. Verified at ucr.gov or on SAFER's UCR tab. |
| IRP account and cab card | Account under the carrier name and USDOT number; cab card lists vehicles by VIN | The base jurisdiction's motor vehicle agency | The fleet's registration fees are apportioned among the states it runs in. |
| IFTA licence and decals | Usually the base state abbreviation plus the carrier's FEIN or state taxpayer number | The base jurisdiction's tax agency | The carrier files one quarterly fuel tax return for every state it runs in. |
USDOT number: format and meaning
FMCSA · www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number
What it shows. Unique identifier assigned by MCMIS to a census record; 'issued sequentially', 'has no internal coded structure'; one active number per company. Required for interstate carriers with GVWR/GCWR 10,001 lbs or more, 9+ passengers for compensation, or hazmat placard quantities; some states require it for intrastate carriers.
Identifier. USDOT number: numeric, sequential, currently up to 7 digits (no check digit).
Access. Free lookup via SAFER Company Snapshot or QCMobile API.
Note. The USDOT number identifies the company, not its authority; a company can have a USDOT number with no operating authority (private carrier).
MC, FF and MX docket numbers: operating authority
FMCSA · www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/get-mc-number-authority-operate
What it shows. Docket number assigned to for-hire carriers, brokers and freight forwarders in interstate commerce; prefix MC (motor carrier), FF (freight forwarder), MX (Mexico-domiciled carrier). Status Active/Inactive/None by authority type (common, contract, broker). Fees: permanent authority $300, reinstatement $80, name change $14.
Identifier. Prefix + sequential number (e.g. MC-123456); docket numbers issued by ICC before Jan 1, 1996. Note: FMCSA's Unified Registration System plan to retire docket numbers in favor of USDOT-only identification has not taken effect as of the retrieved pages.
Access. Status checked on Licensing and Insurance (L&I) site; Authority History shows grant date.
Note. 'Inactive' means authority was revoked and for-hire interstate operations are illegal; 'None' means never registered for that authority type.
SAFER Company Snapshot
FMCSA, Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System · safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx
What it shows. 'concise electronic record of a company's identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including the safety rating (if any), a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information.' Fields include legal/DBA name, physical and mailing address, USDOT number, state carrier ID, MC/MX/FF numbers, DUNS, entity type, operating status (including OUT-OF-SERVICE flags), carrier/shipper operations, cargo, power units, drivers, inspections and OOS rates, crashes, safety rating and date, MCS-150 date.
Identifier. Search by USDOT number, MC/MX number or company name.
Access. Free, one carrier at a time ('ad-hoc query'); also has a UCR tab to check UCR registration by USDOT number.
Note. Snapshot shows MCMIS data; operating authority detail and insurance are on L&I, not SAFER. Safety rating values: Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory, or none.
Licensing and Insurance (L&I) carrier search
FMCSA, Office of Registration · li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov/LIVIEW/pkg_carrquery.prc_carrlist
What it shows. Operating authority status by type (Common, Contract, Broker: Active/Inactive/None), application pending and revocation pending flags, Mexican-owned flag, insurance requirements (BIPD required and on file amounts, Cargo, Bond), BOC-3 process agent on file, active/pending insurance filings (form, type, insurer, policy number, coverage, effective and cancellation dates), rejected insurance (prior 12 months), insurance history since 1995, authority history, pending applications, revocations. 'OOS' appears beneath the USDOT number when the carrier is out of service.
Identifier. Search by USDOT number, docket number (MC/FF/MX), legal name, DBA name, state; name search requires a state and a challenge question.
Access. Free; HTML or PDF report per carrier.
Note. Minimums shown for cargo ($5,000 per vehicle / $10,000 per occurrence) and broker/forwarder bond ($75,000) are the federal floor; actual coverage may be higher. Revocation for lapsed insurance follows a 33-day process; a carrier may hold authority without insurance on file for up to 3 days.
QCMobile API
FMCSA Mobile Developer site · mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/QCDevsite/docs/qcApi
What it shows. REST JSON API over MCMIS/L&I data: endpoints /carriers/name/:name, /carriers/:dotNumber, /carriers/docket-number/:docketNumber, /carriers/:dotNumber/basics, /cargo-carried, /operation-classification, /oos, /docket-numbers, /authority. Returns carrier identity, operating status, safety data (BASICs), out-of-service data and authority.
Identifier. Query by carrier name, USDOT number or docket number; name queries return 50 carriers per page (start/size parameters).
Access. Free API key (WebKey) after creating a Login.gov account; webKey passed as query parameter.
Note. SaferBus API discontinued and folded into QCMobile. Error codes 400/401/404/500. Natural tie-in for automated carrier validation.
FMCSA bulk data: the Data Dissemination Program
FMCSA · www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/fmcsa-data-dissemination-program
What it shows. Bulk files on the DOT Open Data Portal (DataHub): Company Census File (daily, from a 24-hour-old database), Crash and Inspection files (daily, three years of history), Operating Authority MOTUS files (daily by 9:30 AM Eastern: Carrier, Insurance, InsHist, BOC3, AuthHist, RevokeSuspend, full and difference files), SMS input/output files (monthly, posted by the 15th of the next month, comma delimited), New Entrant Out of Service Orders file (daily, comma delimited).
Identifier. Keyed by USDOT number and docket number.
Access. No charge; no registration mentioned.
Note. Replaces the retired ai.fmcsa.dot.gov SMS download page (which now redirects here). Suitable for nightly refresh of a carrier validation database.
Safety rating and out-of-service orders
FMCSA · safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/saferhelp.aspx
What it shows. Safety rating (Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory) results from a compliance review and appears on the Company Snapshot with rating date. Out-of-service status appears on SAFER as operating status and on L&I as 'OOS' under the USDOT number with the sentence 'This carrier is out of service.' New Entrant OOS orders are published as a daily bulk file.
Identifier. USDOT number.
Access. Free (SAFER, L&I) and bulk (Data Dissemination).
Note. An Unsatisfactory rating or OOS order means the carrier may not operate; vendors should treat either as a hard stop.
Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)
UCR Plan Board of Directors (41 participating states) with FMCSA; registration through the National Registration System at ucr.gov · plan.ucr.gov/
What it shows. Annual registration and fee for motor carriers (for-hire, private, exempt), brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies in interstate or international commerce. No credential is issued; registration is verified at www.UCR.gov or on SAFER (UCR tab by USDOT number). 2027 fee brackets: $46 (0-2 vehicles, brokers/leasing) up to $44,836 (1001+ vehicles).
Identifier. USDOT number.
Access. Free verification; registration portal opened Oct 1, 2026 for 2027.
Note. Exceptions: private passenger carriers and solely intrastate carriers. Enforcement bulletin states unregistered carriers are placed out of service 2.5 times as often.
IRP apportioned registration
Administered by each base jurisdiction's motor vehicle agency (example: DC DMV); plan governed by IRP, Inc. (not a government body) · dmv.dc.gov/service/international-registration-plan-heavy-duty-commercial-carriers
What it shows. Reciprocity agreement for registration of commercial vehicles over 26,000 lbs operating in two or more jurisdictions; carrier registers in its base jurisdiction, which collects and distributes fees. Evidence is the apportioned plate and cab card (electronic cab cards allowed since Jan 1, 2019).
Identifier. Account held under carrier name and USDOT number; cab card lists vehicles by VIN.
Access. Verification is by inspecting the cab card or contacting the base jurisdiction; there is no single public national lookup.
Note. State-level check; relevant to confirming a carrier's fleet is lawfully registered. TxDMV IRP page returned 404 at retrieval; DC DMV page used as the primary example.
IFTA fuel tax licence
Administered by each base jurisdiction's tax agency (example: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts); agreement governed by IFTA, Inc. (not a government body) · comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/fuels/ifta.php
What it shows. Qualifying commercial motor vehicles traveling in more than one state or province file a consolidated quarterly fuel tax report in their base jurisdiction; license and decals issued annually. Texas requires FEI number and owner SSNs on the application; returns due quarterly on the last day of the month after quarter end; penalty $50 or 10 percent.
Identifier. IFTA license number is usually the base state abbreviation plus the carrier's FEIN or state taxpayer number (Texas uses the Comptroller taxpayer number; verify per state).
Access. Texas publishes a 'List of IFTA Licensees' link from the Comptroller page; other states vary. No national public lookup.
Note. State-level tax compliance check rather than a safety check; useful as a secondary signal that the carrier is a real operating business.
What a bad result looks like
| Where | Result | What it means for a payer |
|---|---|---|
| SAFER snapshot | Operating status Inactive or an OUT-OF-SERVICE flag | The carrier may not operate. Hard stop until the record changes. |
| SAFER snapshot | Safety rating Unsatisfactory | A compliance review found substantial noncompliance; the carrier is prohibited from operating. Hard stop. |
| SAFER snapshot | Safety rating Conditional | The carrier may operate; the rating is a reason for a closer look and for most brokers a policy decision, not a bar. |
| L&I | Authority Inactive for the type you need (common or contract), or None | Inactive means the authority was revoked and for-hire interstate operation is unlawful; None means it was never granted. |
| L&I | Revocation pending, or BIPD insurance below the required amount or with a cancellation date | Insurance lapse revocation follows a 33-day process; a carrier can hold authority with no insurance on file for up to three days. Treat a pending revocation as a stop and a near cancellation date as a recheck date. |
| L&I | No BOC-3 process agent on file | A registration defect; authority is not granted without one and can be revoked. |
| SAFER UCR tab or ucr.gov | Not registered for the current year | The carrier is subject to roadside enforcement; the UCR Plan's enforcement bulletin reports that unregistered carriers are placed out of service far more often. |
| Any | Legal name on SAFER differs from the W-9 and the insurance certificate | The classic double-brokering and identity theft signal. Resolve the name before the first load; the three-name match worksheet is built for it. |
Questions people ask
Is the MC number going away?
FMCSA has described a plan to retire docket numbers in favour of the USDOT number as the single identifier, but on the pages read for this directory the L&I help text still treats docket numbers as current and the authority record is still keyed to them. Keep recording both.
Can I check a carrier in bulk instead of one at a time?
Yes, two ways. The QCMobile API returns carrier identity, operating status, authority, BASICs and out-of-service data as JSON by USDOT number, docket number or name, with a free key after a Login.gov signup. The Data Dissemination Program publishes the census, authority, insurance, BOC-3, revocation, inspection, crash and new-entrant out-of-service files daily or monthly at no charge, which is what a nightly refresh of a carrier database uses.
Does the SAFER snapshot show insurance?
No. The snapshot is MCMIS data: identity, size, cargo, inspections, crashes, safety rating and operating status. Insurance filings, BOC-3 and authority history are on the L&I system, which is a separate lookup by USDOT or docket number.
What is the UCR fee?
A bracketed annual fee by fleet size. The 2027 brackets published by the UCR Plan run from $46 for zero to two vehicles (and for brokers and leasing companies) to $44,836 for 1,001 or more vehicles. The fee is the carrier's; what the payer checks is that it was paid.
How does carrier validation fit with the TIN match?
They answer different questions about the same record. The IRS match confirms the name and TIN on the W-9 belong together; FMCSA confirms the company behind that name is registered, authorised, insured and not out of service; the name has to be the same in both places. TIN Comply's carrier validation runs the FMCSA checks from the same sources this page lists, alongside the IRS match.