USDOT and MC Number Lookup

The USDOT number is FMCSA's identifier for any carrier it regulates, including private fleets and intrastate hazmat haulers. An MC (docket) number is operating authority to haul for hire across state lines, and it comes with the duty to keep a liability insurance filing (form BMC-91 or BMC-91X) on file with FMCSA. A for-hire interstate carrier usually has both; a private fleet or a Florida-only operation may have only a USDOT number.

FMCSA requires for-hire interstate carriers to keep proof of liability coverage on file, at the minimum under 49 CFR 387.9: $750,000 for general freight in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, $300,000 for lighter vehicles, and $1 million or $5 million for hazardous materials. Cargo filings are required only from household goods carriers, and brokers and freight forwarders file a $75,000 bond or trust fund instead. If the liability filing lapses, FMCSA can revoke the authority, and most brokers and shippers won't load a carrier whose record shows no filing.

No. FMCSA assigns Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory only after a compliance review, and most small carriers have never had one, so their record says not rated. A Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating is what shippers and underwriters react to. Separately, FMCSA's inspection and crash counts come from roadside inspections and reported crashes over the last 24 months, and an out-of-service rate well above the national average draws attention.

Every carrier with a USDOT number must update its registration (form MCSA-1, the former MCS-150) at least every 24 months, in the year and month FMCSA sets from the number's digits, and within 30 days of a change of name, business form or address (49 CFR 390.201). FMCSA can deactivate the USDOT number for a missed update, which stops you working until it's fixed. Update it in FMCSA's online registration system, then check the record again in a few days.