Free MC Number Lookup
An MC number lookup checks an operating-authority number against the FMCSA motor carrier census. This free tool takes an MC, MX or FF number and returns whether that authority is active, inactive or pending, plus the carrier's USDOT number, legal name, address, fleet size, driver count and safety rating, so you can confirm a carrier before you book a load.
Free & rate-limited. No signup required to try.
Example resultThis is a real lookup we captured on 2026-10-21 for MC-115495. Run any lookup above and it is replaced with yours.
Active carrier: UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC
MC-115495 - USDOT 21800 - ATLANTA, GA
Source: the FMCSA motor carrier census, updated daily. Contact details, fleet size and mileage come from the carrier's own MCS-150 filing and are only as current as the date shown above.
Source: Motor Carrier Census (SAFER company snapshot), published by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Need this at scale? DOT Number Lookup API
Check a whole carrier list at once: authority, liability insurance on file against the FMCSA minimum, safety rating and a risk level, at 10 credits per carrier.
An MC number lookup tells you whether a carrier may haul your freight today.
An MC number is the operating-authority number FMCSA issues to a for-hire carrier or broker that moves regulated freight across state lines. It is the number a broker finds on a rate confirmation and a shipper finds in a carrier's paperwork, and it is separate from the USDOT number that identifies the company for safety. This free lookup takes an MC number and returns the carrier behind it: whether the authority is active, inactive or pending, the USDOT number, the legal name and any trading name, the registered address, phone and email, the officers on file, the fleet size, the driver count and the safety rating.
The data is the FMCSA motor carrier census, which covers roughly 4.5 million carriers and refreshes daily. About half of those records are inactive, so a number that turns up in the census is not proof that a carrier can run today. The status printed beside the MC number is the answer. A carrier can also hold more than one authority: a company with an MC number may have a freight forwarder (FF) number or a second MC docket beside it, and this tool lists each one with its own status, starting with the number you searched for.
MX numbers belong to Mexico-domiciled carriers and FF numbers to freight forwarders, and the tool reads all three. A bare number such as 135797 is read as an MC number, because that is what a broker has in hand.
An MC number and a USDOT number answer different questions about the same carrier.
The MC number says whether the carrier may haul regulated freight. Its USDOT number opens the rest of the company's record, which you can search with the free DOT number lookup. To check a whole carrier list by USDOT or MC number, with the insurance on file against each authority, use the DOT Number Lookup API.
A result shows the authority first and the carrier behind it, and each field answers a different question.
This is an invented result for a made-up carrier, laid out the way a lookup comes back. Every field is free on this page.
- Operating authorityMC-123456 (active)
- Other operating authorityFF-654321 (active)
- USDOT number1234567
- Operating statusActive
- Legal nameEXAMPLE FREIGHT LINES INC
- Power units (trucks)42
- Safety ratingNone assigned
Operating authority
The authority you searched for and its status. Active means FMCSA lists it as in force.
Other operating authority
Any other authority the carrier holds, such as a freight forwarder number, with its own status.
USDOT number
The number that identifies the company for safety, to take to the DOT number lookup or SAFER.
Operating status
Whether the carrier's registration is active. About half of the 4.5 million records in the census are not.
Legal name
The name the carrier is registered under. It should match the company on your rate confirmation.
Power units (trucks)
The trucks the carrier reported, to compare with the capacity it is offering you.
Safety rating
FMCSA rates only carriers it has reviewed, about 5% of them, so a blank is the ordinary case.
The MC number lookup reads the FMCSA census in three steps.
Enter the MC number
Type or paste it with or without the MC prefix. MC-135797, MC 135797 and 135797 all read the same, and MX and FF numbers work too.
We search the FMCSA census
The number is matched against all three docket columns of the official motor carrier census, the public register behind SAFER, so a carrier is found whichever of its authorities you enter.
Read the authority and the carrier
You get the status of the authority you searched for, any other authorities the carrier holds, and the carrier's USDOT number, legal name, address, contact details, fleet size, driver count and safety rating.
An MC number lookup searches every docket column, because one carrier can hold several authorities.
This is the path one lookup takes. The number you type may be the carrier's second authority, so all three columns are searched.
- You enter the MC numberWith or without the MC prefix.
- The census is searchedThe FMCSA register matches the number against all three of a carrier's docket columns.Nothing is sent to the carrier, so it is never told someone looked.
- The authority and carrier are readThe status of that authority, the USDOT number behind it and the carrier's census record.
- You see the carrierAuthority status, legal name, address, fleet and safety rating, in a few seconds.
Every FMCSA operating-authority number starts with one of three prefixes.
A bare number is read as an MC number. MX and FF numbers sit in the same docket columns of the census, and this tool reads all three.
| Prefix | Issued to | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| MC | For-hire motor carriers and freight brokers of regulated freight | Rate confirmations, carrier packets and broker authority letters |
| MX | Mexico-domiciled motor carriers | Cross-border moves into the United States |
| FF | Freight forwarders | Household-goods and property forwarders, often beside an MC number |
The status printed beside each number tells you whether to go on.
FMCSA writes each authority as active, inactive or pending, and the tool prints that beside the number.
| Status shown | What FMCSA is saying | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Active | The authority is in force | Carry on with the rest of your checks |
| Inactive | The authority is not in force, for example revoked or withdrawn | Do not tender freight until FMCSA shows it active |
| Pending | The authority was applied for and is not yet granted | Wait for the grant before booking the carrier |
The authority you searched for comes first
A carrier can be active while one of its authorities is not. The result puts the MC number you entered at the top with its own status, and says so in the headline when that authority is inactive or still pending.
Every authority the carrier holds
A freight forwarder number or a second MC docket beside the first is listed with its own status, so a broker sees the whole operating authority and not just one line of it.
The USDOT number behind the MC number
The USDOT number is the key to the carrier's inspections, crashes and safety record. It is printed in the result so you can take it straight to the DOT number lookup or to FMCSA's own SAFER pages.
Fleet size and driver count
Compare the trucks, drivers and annual mileage the carrier reported against the capacity it is offering you. A one-truck filing against a promise of ten loads a week is worth a question.
Safety rating, shown as it is
Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory where FMCSA has assigned one. Only about 5% of carriers have a rating at all, so the tool reads a blank as the ordinary case rather than a warning.
Who uses this tool
Freight brokers vetting a carrier
Take the MC number from the rate confirmation, confirm the authority is active and check that the legal name matches the company that called you.
Shippers checking a new hauler
Verify the operating authority of a carrier that approached you directly, before any freight is loaded onto its trailer.
Factoring companies checking a debtor
Confirm the carrier behind an invoice holds an active authority under a matching name before advancing money against the freight bill.
Carrier sales teams checking a lead
See whether the MC number on a prospect's list is still active, and which USDOT number and fleet it belongs to, before anyone makes the call.
Frequently asked questions
What is an MC number?
An MC number, also called a docket number, is the operating-authority number FMCSA issues to a for-hire motor carrier or a freight broker that moves regulated freight across state lines. Carriers that haul only their own freight usually do not need one, which is why a carrier can have a USDOT number and no MC number.
What is the difference between an MC number and a USDOT number?
A USDOT number identifies the company for safety and nearly every interstate carrier has one. An MC number is a separate operating authority granted to carriers and brokers that haul or arrange regulated freight for hire. One carrier has one USDOT number and can hold more than one authority, which is why this tool lists each one.
What do MX and FF numbers mean?
MX numbers are issued to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers and FF numbers to freight forwarders. They sit in the same docket columns of the census as MC numbers, and this tool reads all three prefixes.
What does it mean when an MC number is inactive?
An inactive authority is not in force, so the carrier may not haul regulated freight under it. Common reasons are a lapsed insurance filing, a voluntary withdrawal or a revocation. Do not book a load against an inactive authority without confirming its current status with FMCSA directly.
The MC number shows a different company from my rate confirmation. What now?
A name that does not match the company that called you is the classic sign of double brokering or a stolen carrier identity. Check the legal name and any trading name in the result against the paperwork, and ask the carrier to explain any gap before you release the load.
Does this tool show the carrier's insurance?
This free tool shows the authority and the census record. The liability insurance on file against each authority, with the FMCSA minimum beside it and a risk level, is in the DOT Number Lookup API, which takes USDOT and MC numbers and charges 10 credits per carrier found.
How current is this data?
The FMCSA motor carrier census is refreshed daily and this tool reads it live. Fleet size and driver counts come from the carrier's own MCS-150 filing, so they are only as current as the filing date shown in the result.
Can I check a list of MC numbers at once?
Not through this free tool, which is limited to a handful of lookups per visitor per day. The DOT Number Lookup API checks a whole carrier list at once: upload a CSV of USDOT or MC numbers and get back each carrier's status, authority, liability insurance on file and risk level, at 10 credits per carrier found.
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