MC number and DOT number lookup, free

What you can check

• Operating authority (active, revoked, out of service)
• Reported insurance-filing status, when available
• FMCSA safety rating (Satisfactory / Conditional / Unsatisfactory)
• Power units, drivers and out-of-service rates
• Legal name, DBA, physical address and MC/docket number
• A direct link to the official SAFER snapshot

Reading the number

What the number on the carrier packet tells you

A carrier packet can show two different numbers, and they do different jobs. The USDOT number identifies the employer or person operating; the MC/docket number tracked a single operating-authority registration. FMCSA has proposed to stop assigning MC numbers, but states the change is under consideration, will go through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and did not take effect with the first release of the new registration system — and that existing MC numbers will not be replaced. So both numbers are still normal to see.

USDOT number

The identifier FMCSA uses for the employer or person operating. Required of every regulated entity, including brokers and freight forwarders. Existing registrants keep the number they have.

MC-prefixed docket

A motor carrier docket number. Historically it tracked one operating-authority registration, not the entity itself, which is why one company can hold more than one.

FF-prefixed docket

A freight forwarder docket. Seeing FF rather than MC on a packet tells you what the registration was granted for, not that the record is wrong.

MX-prefixed docket

A Mexico-domiciled carrier docket. Motus continues to issue docket numbers, and the MC, MX and FF prefixes remain unchanged.

New USDOT numbers can also carry a suffix naming the authority the entity holds — B for a broker, C for a property carrier, F for a freight forwarder. Existing registrants keep their number and show no suffix. What changed in FMCSA registration in 2026 covers the full list, and the biennial-update suspension that changes how much weight a public record can carry right now.

Before you book

How to use the lookup

1. 01

   Search the carrier

   Use the USDOT number, MC/docket number or company name shown in the carrier's documents.

2. 02

   Match the identity

   Compare the legal name, DBA, address and docket information with the carrier you are booking.

3. 03

   Review public-record fields

   Review operating status, safety rating, out-of-service data and available reported insurance-filing fields.

4. 04

   Verify and continue your controls

   Confirm the official record in SAFER, then complete your normal identity, contact, banking and insurance checks.

CarrierSentry is an independent service using public records. Open the official FMCSA/SAFER site to confirm the record before making a business decision.

Read the numbers

Keep counts, rates and categories separate

Use these fictional examples to understand the inspection and crash tables after opening a carrier record.