MC number lookup
Enter an MC or DOT number and get what FMCSA actually holds on that company: whether the authority is active, whether the broker bond is on file, what insurance is filed, and what has been revoked or reinstated. Free, and it takes about four seconds.
Look up an MC number
Live FMCSA licensing, insurance and census data. Switch to DOT if that's the number you were given.
What you get back
The check pulls five FMCSA datasets at once and turns them into a verdict plus the signals behind it, so you can see why something was flagged rather than a score with no working shown.
| What it shows | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Broker / common / contract authority status | Whether they can legally do the thing they are asking you to do |
| Broker bond or trust fund on file | Whether there is $75,000 standing behind an unpaid invoice |
| Liability insurance filed, and the minimum required | A carrier below the filed minimum is an uninsured load |
| How old the authority is | Authority under six months old is the classic double-brokering vehicle |
| Revocations, suspensions and reinstatements | A company that has lost authority before can lose it again mid-load |
| Fleet size and safety rating | Carrier authority with zero trucks is a broker in a carrier's coat |
| The phone number and address FMCSA holds | The number to call to confirm the load is really theirs |
What the register looks like today
Counted straight from the FMCSA datasets on 2026-09-28. These are not estimates and they are not a sample — they are the whole register.
The proportions are what surprise people. For every live broker authority there are 3.7 dead ones — 91,652 broker records that are no longer active. Of the 4,509,620 USDOT numbers ever issued, 50% are no longer active. A number existing proves almost nothing; only its current status does.
Authority is being revoked faster than it is granted
In 2025, FMCSA granted operating authority 62,053 times and revoked it 134,659 times — 2.2 revocations for every grant. Grants have roughly halved since 2021, when there were 123,096, while revocations have not fallen at all.
| Year | Authority granted | Revoked | Reinstated | Revoked per grant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 123,096 | 110,039 | 27,222 | 0.9× |
| 2022 | 110,742 | 137,654 | 30,052 | 1.2× |
| 2023 | 75,491 | 130,603 | 31,314 | 1.7× |
| 2024 | 62,135 | 133,207 | 26,229 | 2.1× |
| 2025 | 62,053 | 134,659 | 25,812 | 2.2× |
| 2026 | 24,507 | 43,988 | 9,663 | 1.8× |
FMCSA authority history (dataset 9mw4-x3tu), counted 2026-09-28. 2026 is a part year.
This is the background you are booking against: a register with a large, constantly churning tail of companies that had authority and lost it. It is also why the age of an authority is one of the strongest signals in the check — and why the result flags anything under six months old.
How to read the result
- Green — active authority, bond or insurance on file, and a record that goes back years.
- Amber — verify before booking. A young authority, a recent suspension, an application still pending, or carrier authority with no trucks behind it.
- Red — don't book without verifying elsewhere. No active authority, no bond, a revocation pending, an unsatisfactory safety rating, or no FMCSA record at all for the number you were given.
A red verdict is not proof of fraud and a green one is not a guarantee. The verdict ranks how much checking you still owe the load.
What a lookup will not tell you
It will not tell you whether the person emailing you is the company on the record. That is the single most common freight fraud: a real, clean MC number pasted into a fake load post with the scammer's own phone and email underneath it. The record looks perfect because the record is perfect — it just isn't theirs.
So the last step never changes. Call the number FMCSA has on file, which the result shows you, and ask whether they posted the load. Never the number in the email. It costs a minute and it is the only step that catches identity theft.
It also will not tell you whether a broker pays on time. FMCSA holds no payment data at all — that is covered in the credit check page.
Where the active brokers are
Business addresses on active broker authorities, by state. It is where FMCSA would post an order, not where the freight moves.
| State | Active broker authorities |
|---|---|
| Texas | 3,057 |
| California | 2,688 |
| Florida | 2,069 |
| Illinois | 1,597 |
| Ohio | 949 |
| Georgia | 929 |
| New York | 787 |
| Pennsylvania | 768 |
| New Jersey | 750 |
| Ontario | 698 |
Questions
What is an MC number?
A motor carrier docket number issued by the FMCSA. It records the operating authority a company holds — broker, common carrier or contract carrier — and whether that authority is active right now. A company can hold a USDOT number and still have no authority to broker or haul for hire.
How do I look up an MC number for free?
Enter it in the box at the top of this page. The check reads FMCSA's licensing, insurance and census datasets — the records behind SAFER and FMCSA's own Licensing & Insurance search — and returns authority status, bond and insurance on file, revocation history, fleet size and the phone number FMCSA has on record. A free account is required, which is what keeps the 25,081 active broker records from being scraped through us.
Is an active MC number enough to book a load?
No. It tells you the company is real and currently authorised. It does not tell you that the person who emailed you is that company. MC numbers of legitimate brokers are copied onto fake load posts constantly, so the last step is always the same: call the phone number on the FMCSA record, not the one in the email, and ask whether they posted the load.
What does it mean if authority is 'inactive'?
The company held authority and no longer does — it was revoked, or they let it lapse. There are 91,652 inactive broker records against 25,081 active ones. An inactive broker cannot legally arrange your load, and if they don't pay, there is usually no live bond to claim against.
What is a revocation pending?
FMCSA has started the process of pulling the authority, normally because insurance or a bond has lapsed. 14,906 dockets carry a pending revocation right now. It is not a conviction, but it means the paperwork that protects you is already failing.
Can I look up a carrier the same way?
Yes — the same record covers carriers. For a carrier you are looking at liability insurance on file, the safety rating, the number of power units, and whether they have carrier authority at all. A company with carrier authority and zero trucks registered is often a broker presenting itself as an asset carrier.
Where does this data come from?
FMCSA's public datasets on data.transportation.gov: Licensing & Insurance, Company Census, authority history, insurance filings and revocations. FMCSA refreshes them daily. We cache a result for six hours.
Does this cost anything?
No. The lookup is free and so is the account. There is no paid tier on it and no card is asked for.