DOT number lookup
Check a USDOT number against live FMCSA records: whether it is active, what authority sits behind it, what insurance is filed, how many trucks are registered and what the safety rating is. Free, no card.
Look up a USDOT number
Live FMCSA licensing, insurance and census data. Switch to MC if that's the number you were given.
Half the numbers ever issued are dead
FMCSA has issued 4,509,620 USDOT numbers. 2,244,197 are active — 50% are not. That is the first thing the lookup checks, because a number that exists and a number that is live are very different things, and a load offer quoting a dead one has already told you something.
What the USDOT number proves, and what it doesn't
A USDOT number is free and almost anyone operating a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce has to have one. It is an identifier, not a licence: it says FMCSA knows this company exists and has a file on it. It does not say the company may haul your freight for money.
That permission is the operating authority — the MC docket — and it is a separate record with a separate status. A company can have a perfectly active USDOT number and no authority at all, which is why this check reads both and shows you the two statuses side by side.
What the record shows
| Field | What to do with it |
|---|---|
| Operating status | Active, or not. If not, stop. |
| Authority attached | Broker, common carrier, contract carrier — and whether each is active |
| Liability insurance on file | Compare the filed amount with the minimum FMCSA requires for what they haul |
| Power units and drivers | A one-truck authority quoting you on fifteen loads a week is brokering, whatever they call it |
| Safety rating | Unsatisfactory is disqualifying; Conditional is a conversation; most are unrated |
| MCS-150 date | How stale the rest of the record is |
| Registered address and phone | The number to call to confirm the load |
New registrations are still running at six figures a year
171,607 USDOT numbers were added in 2025. Volume like that is why "the number checks out" is a weak test on its own — getting a number is easy, and keeping active authority behind it is the part that filters.
For what happens to that authority afterwards, see how to check broker authority.
Questions
What is a USDOT number?
The number FMCSA uses to identify a company that operates commercial vehicles. It follows the company for life, it is free to obtain, and it is the number painted on the door. It identifies who they are — not what they are allowed to do.
How do I look up a DOT number?
Put it in the box above with the type set to DOT. You get operating status, the authority attached to it, insurance on file, fleet size, safety rating and the registered address and phone.
What does an inactive USDOT number mean?
The company has stopped operating, been put out of service, or failed to keep its registration updated. 50% of the 4,509,620 USDOT numbers ever issued are no longer active — 2,244,197 remain. An inactive number on a load offer is a hard stop.
Is a USDOT number the same as an MC number?
No. See MC number vs DOT number — the short version is that the USDOT number identifies the company and the MC number is the operating authority that lets it work for hire.
What is the MCS-150 and why does the date matter?
The registration update every carrier must file at least every two years. If the date is years old, the fleet size, address and contact details on the record are years old too. It is not a fraud signal on its own — plenty of legitimate companies are late — but it tells you how much to trust the rest of the record.
Can I check a carrier's safety rating here?
Yes. The result shows the FMCSA safety rating where one exists: Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory. Most carriers are unrated, which means they have not been through a compliance review — not that they failed one.