MC number vs USDOT number: what each one is and which one to check

A USDOT number identifies the company to FMCSA; an MC number is a docket for operating authority. Why a carrier can have one without the other, how to read FF and MX prefixes, and which lookup answers which question.

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USDOT number

The USDOT number is the registration identifier every interstate commercial operator (and, in most states, intrastate ones) must carry. It identifies the company in the FMCSA census: legal name, address, fleet, cargo, MCS-150 date, safety data. It says nothing on its own about whether the company may haul for hire.

MC number (docket)

The MC number is the docket under which FMCSA grants operating authority — the permission to transport regulated commodities for hire in interstate commerce, or to broker freight. It carries a status (Active, Pending, Inactive), an authority type (motor carrier of property, household goods, passengers, broker, freight forwarder) and the insurance and bond filings tied to it. FF dockets are freight forwarders; MX dockets are Mexico-domiciled carriers.

One without the other

A private fleet hauling its own goods has a USDOT number and no MC docket. An exempt-commodity hauler (unprocessed agricultural products, for example) may have none. A broker has an MC docket for broker authority and usually a USDOT number too. A carrier that lost its authority still has its USDOT number — so "the DOT number is active" does not mean the carrier may take your load.

Which lookup answers which question

Is this a real registered company, where is it, how big is it, when did it last update? — USDOT. May it legally haul this freight for hire, is it insured for that, and is anything pending against that permission? — MC docket. A vetting report reads both, joined, with the history.

The 2026 licensing system

FMCSA moved licensing and insurance to a new registration system for 2026; historical dockets were migrated with their original grant dates. Public files now come in two series (through 2025, and 2026 onward). This site reads both and marks which series each record came from.

This is an informational report compiled from public FMCSA records as of the stamped date. It is not a safety rating, not insurance or legal advice, and not a recommendation to use or avoid any carrier. FMCSA records can be late or incomplete; confirm anything decisive against the official record linked in the report.

More: How to check a trucking carrier before tendering a load · Double brokering and carrier identity misuse: what shows up in the public record