How to check a trucking company or freight broker before you ship

Before you hand freight to a trucking company or a freight broker, it is worth confirming three things: that the company is registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), that it has the required insurance or bond on file, and that the people you are talking to really represent it. FMCSA's records are public and free to search. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

USDOT number vs. operating authority

The USDOT number is the identifier FMCSA uses for the companies it regulates, and it ties a company to its safety record.

Operating authority is a separate registration. FMCSA says that, in general, companies that transport federally regulated commodities owned by others, or arrange for their transport, for a fee in interstate commerce need operating authority in addition to a USDOT number. Authority is usually identified by an "MC," "FF" or "MX" docket number, and the type of authority dictates the kind of operation a company may run.

That distinction matters. A motor carrier hauls the freight. A broker arranges transportation by an authorized motor carrier for compensation. Federal rules bar a broker from representing its operations as those of a carrier, and federal law (49 U.S.C. 14916) allows a company to broker interstate freight only if it is registered with FMCSA and meets the financial security requirement. Some operators, such as private carriers hauling their own goods, do not need authority at all.

MC numbers and FMCSA's new registration system

FMCSA is moving registration to a new online system called Motus. According to an April 2026 Federal Register notice, the first phase opened on December 8, 2025 for insurers, process agent filers and other service providers, and a second phase opening the system to all regulated companies was planned for the second quarter of 2026. Motus adds identity and business verification, which FMCSA describes as a response to fraud such as account hijacking and fake registrations.

FMCSA has also proposed to stop assigning MC numbers and make the USDOT number the sole identifier, with suffixes showing each type of authority. In the same notice, FMCSA said the Phase II release would not eliminate MC numbers and that it would take a measured approach in later releases. For now, expect a for-hire carrier or broker to have both numbers, and use the USDOT number as the anchor for your checks.

Where to look it up

• SAFER Company Snapshot at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Search by USDOT or MC number or by name. FMCSA points to SAFER for a company's current safety rating and for the phone numbers on its registration.
• Licensing and Insurance at FMCSA's L&I site. Search by MC or USDOT number to see whether operating authority has been granted and its authority history. This is also the system where insurers' required filings are recorded.

Compare the legal name, address and phone number in these records with what the company gave you. Mismatches are a reason to slow down.

Insurance and bond minimums

FMCSA will not grant operating authority until the minimum financial responsibility is on file, and companies must keep it on file to avoid revocation. The main federal minimums for freight are:

Two points are easy to miss. First, those carrier figures are liability coverage for bodily injury and property damage. FMCSA's chart lists no cargo insurance requirement for general freight carriers, because the agency dropped that requirement in 2010 for most property carriers. If cargo coverage matters to you, ask for a certificate and confirm it with the insurer directly; FMCSA warns that even insurance certificates can be fraudulent.

Second, broker bond rules tightened on January 16, 2026. If claims push a broker's bond or trust fund below $75,000, the surety must notify FMCSA, and FMCSA will suspend the broker's authority unless, within 7 business days of FMCSA's notice, the broker restores the full amount, settles the pending claims without using the bond, or shows the notice was sent in error.

Safety ratings

FMCSA assigns a safety rating after a compliance review, an examination of records such as hours of service, maintenance and driver qualification. Under 49 CFR 385.3:

• Satisfactory means adequate safety management controls are in place.
• Conditional means controls are not adequate and could lead to problems.
• Unsatisfactory means inadequate controls have already resulted in problems. A carrier rated Unsatisfactory is generally prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles.
• Unrated means FMCSA has not assigned a rating. It is not a failing grade on its own.

New carriers go through an 18-month new entrant monitoring period, with a safety audit due within 12 months for property carriers. Safety audits do not produce ratings, so a new carrier may show as unrated.

Red flags and double brokering

FMCSA has noted that "double brokering" is not defined in statute or regulation and that the term covers several activities, often companies acting as brokers without proper authority. In everyday use it describes freight being handed off to another carrier without the shipper's knowledge, which leaves you not knowing who actually has your goods.

FMCSA's guidance on broker and carrier fraud includes these steps:

• Confirm phone numbers using SAFER. If the number you were given does not match, call the number in SAFER.
• Be cautious if SAFER shows no phone number at all.
• Remember that top search results can be fake profiles created by scammers.
• Stop if someone asks a carrier to present itself under a different name, calls the shipment a "blind load" when asked where it is going, or offers a rate far above market.
• At pickup, confirm the name and numbers on the truck match the company you hired, record the tractor and trailer plate information, and keep pictures of the equipment.

If you use a broker, ask which carrier will haul the load. Brokers must keep a record of each transaction, including the carrier's name and registration number, and each party to a brokered transaction has the right to review it.

A quick checklist

1. Get the USDOT and MC numbers in writing.
2. Look them up in SAFER and L&I, and confirm the authority type fits the job.
3. Match the name, address and phone to the records.
4. Confirm insurance or the broker bond, and verify any cargo certificate with the insurer.
5. Check the safety rating and how long the company has held authority.
6. Verify the truck and driver at pickup.

If you suspect fraud, FMCSA suggests contacting its Contact Center at 1-800-832-5660 and filing a complaint through the National Consumer Complaint Database.