How can I check the status of my USDOT number?

Enter the USDOT number above. CarrierScrub reads the carrier's FMCSA operating-authority record and shows whether authority is active, whether a revocation is pending against it, and whether the insurance on file meets the requirement. It uses the carrier's current Motus record where FMCSA has one, and FMCSA's legacy file, last updated 14 May 2026, where it does not.

How do I look up a company's DOT number?

Use the DOT number lookup by name. Type the start of the carrier's FMCSA legal name or DBA name and it lists every match in CarrierScrub's dataset with its USDOT number, city and state. Results key on the USDOT number because carrier names collide.

Is a DOT number lookup free?

Yes. Three carrier checks a day are free with no sign-in. A free account adds 25 lookups a month, then $1.00 each.

What is the difference between a USDOT number and an MC number?

A USDOT number is the carrier's permanent federal identifier. An MC number is tied to a specific type of operating authority and is being phased toward a USDOT-based suffix. CarrierScrub accepts either and resolves an MC number to its USDOT number before looking up the record.

What does a CAUTION verdict mean?

CAUTION means a fact on file is worth a closer look before tendering a load, such as a revocation pending against the authority, an insurance cancellation filed for a future date, or insurance instability. It is not a finding of wrongdoing.

Does this include safety ratings, crash history or inspection data?

Safety rating, roadside out-of-service history and crash history come from FMCSA's SMS snapshot, each dated to it: the rating with the date it was assigned, 24-month driver and vehicle inspection and out-of-service counts, crash counts bucketed the way FMCSA's SAFER does (fatal, injury, tow-away, with FMCSA's not-preventable findings), and any acute or critical violation found in an FMCSA investigation. Until then those sections are left off a result rather than estimated. BASIC percentiles are not shown because FMCSA does not publish them for property carriers, and most carriers have never been given a safety rating at all, which a report says plainly rather than treating as a pass.

How do I dispute what a lookup shows about my company?

CarrierScrub republishes what FMCSA has on file. To correct the record, file through FMCSA's DataQs process.

DOT Number Lookup: Free USDOT & MC Number Search

Every source, every rule and its limits, and the free corrections policy: how verdicts work.

What does a DOT number lookup tell you?

A DOT number lookup on CarrierScrub reports whether a carrier's FMCSA operating authority is active, whether FMCSA has placed it under an out-of-service order, whether insurance on file meets the required coverage, whether FMCSA's current record shows a required cargo insurance or bond filing missing or its mail returned undeliverable, and whether the USDOT number shows a contact-history relationship to a suspended carrier. Safety rating, roadside out-of-service history and crash history come from FMCSA's SMS snapshot, dated to it -- see the note below.

USDOT vs. MC number

A USDOT number is the carrier's permanent federal identifier. An MC number (motor carrier number) is tied to a specific class of operating authority. CarrierScrub accepts either and resolves an MC number to its USDOT number before returning a verdict.

How to look up a USDOT number

Get the number. Take the USDOT or MC number from the rate confirmation or carrier packet. If all you have is a name, search by the legal or DBA name to find it.
Enter it above. Type the USDOT number, or MC followed by the number, and run the check. FMCSA's own SAFER Company Snapshot is also free, one carrier at a time.
Read the verdict and its date. GO, CAUTION or STOP, with each reason: operating authority, any revocation pending, and insurance on file against the required amount, dated to the FMCSA record it came from.
Confirm who you are talking to. Call the dispatcher back on the phone number in the carrier's FMCSA registration, not the one you were given. How to verify a dispatcher covers mismatches and spoofing.

Deciding whether a trucking company is legit takes a few more checks, such as registration history and whether the authority is new. The carrier vetting checklist runs through them in order.

What's checked, and where each section comes from

A report never shows GO for a section it has not actually checked. Every section carries the date of the FMCSA record behind it, and a section whose source has not been loaded yet is left off the result, not estimated.

From FMCSA authority and insurance filings

Operating authority status
Revocations pending against the authority
Insurance on file against the required amount
Insurance cancellations and insurer churn
Shared contact details with a revoked carrier

From FMCSA's SMS snapshot

FMCSA safety rating, with the date it was assigned
Roadside inspections and out-of-service rates, 24 months
Crash history, 24 months, with FMCSA's preventability findings
Acute or critical violations found in an FMCSA investigation

Dated to the snapshot.

Two things no result shows, because FMCSA does not publish them: BASIC percentiles for property carriers, and a safety rating for the roughly 95% of carriers FMCSA has never rated (236,352 of 4,502,467 in the September 2026 census hold one). A report says "not published" and "not rated" rather than leaving a blank or implying a pass.

Free vs. paid carrier checks

CarrierScrub's lookup is free with no account for three carriers a day, and covers operating authority and insurance, with FMCSA's safety record from the SMS snapshot. Paid platforms like Carrier411 ($99/mo) and BrokerSnapshot ($100/mo+) add inspection-level violation history, BASIC scores, multi-year archives and (for BrokerSnapshot) Secretary of State records -- real breadth CarrierScrub doesn't have. See the honest, sourced breakdown: CarrierScrub vs. Carrier411 or CarrierScrub vs. BrokerSnapshot.

Can I look up a DOT number by company name?

Yes. The DOT number lookup by name lists every carrier in CarrierScrub's dataset whose FMCSA legal name or DBA (doing business as) name starts with what you type, with its USDOT number, city and state, so you can pick the right one and open its record. Every result still keys on the USDOT number on purpose: names collide. Two carriers named H&E Cargo are in the FMCSA file today, one in Kansas City with a clean record and one in Pennsylvania registered the day after a carrier at the same phone number was suspended. A name search cannot tell them apart; a USDOT number can.

Starting from an MC number instead? Use the MC number lookup. Only need to know whether a number is active? See check DOT number status.

Scrub a whole list of DOT numbers

Checking a carrier list one number at a time does not scale. Batch upload takes a CSV or XLSX of USDOT or MC numbers, up to 1,000 rows, and returns every carrier's verdict with its reasons, sortable highest risk first and downloadable as a CSV. Rows that match no FMCSA record are listed as not matched rather than dropped, so a mistyped number is visible. It is part of the free plan; you need an account so the results are saved to you.

Browse carriers by state

Looking for carriers based in a specific state rather than one you already have a number for? Browse the state directory -- 50 pages, each with a live GO/CAUTION/STOP breakdown for carriers CarrierScrub currently tracks there.

Where the data comes from

Operating authority and insurance filings are published free under the FMCSA Motor Carrier open data program. CarrierScrub checks them for the carrier you look up, and every result carries the date it reflects. Cross-check any result against FMCSA's SAFER system. If a record is wrong, the fix is FMCSA's DataQs process -- we only republish what is on file.

Free DOT number lookup.