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How to check a trucking carrier before tendering a load

The seven checks brokers run on a carrier from FMCSA public records — authority, insurance, OOS orders, MCS-150 age, contact match, shared contacts, safety measures — and what each one actually tells you.

Start with the number, not the name

Get the USDOT or MC number from the carrier's paperwork or the load board, never from the person on the phone. Names repeat; numbers do not. Look the number up and compare the legal name, city and state on the record to what you were told. A mismatch is the end of the conversation until it is explained.

1. Operating authority is Active on the right docket

For-hire interstate transport of regulated commodities requires active motor-carrier authority (an MC docket). Check the status is Active, not Pending, Inactive or Withdrawn, and check the authority type matches the work — a Broker of Property docket is not carrier authority, and Household Goods authority is a different filing. The history matters too: an authority reinstated last month after a revocation is a different risk from one that has been active since 2009.

2. Insurance is on file, at the required amount, with no cancellation pending

FMCSA requires a BIPD liability filing (BMC-91 or 91X) for the docket, $750,000 or $1,000,000 depending on the operation. The licensing record shows the amount required and the amount on file; the insurance file shows the insurer, the policy, the effective date and — critically — any cancellation with its effective date. A cancellation dated two weeks from now is a carrier you may be paying claims on yourself.

3. No out-of-service order stands

An OOS order means the carrier may not operate. The public OOS file lists the order date, the reason (imminent hazard, unsatisfactory rating, failure to pay, no insurance) and whether and when it was rescinded. A rescinded order from years ago is context; an unrescinded one is a stop.

4. The MCS-150 is current

Carriers must update the MCS-150 every two years. A filing that is four years old means the fleet size, mileage, address and officer on the record are at least that old, and FMCSA can deactivate the number for failure to update. It is also the file that carries the phone and email you are about to compare.

5. The contact you have matches the contact on record

This is the single highest-value check and the cheapest. The census carries the carrier's phone, email and company officer. If the person emailing you uses a different domain, a different phone, or a different name, call the number on the FMCSA record and ask whether they are hauling your load. Most identity misuse fails right here.

6. Shared phone or address

Count how many other active USDOT numbers list the same phone or the same street address. One or two is ordinary — registered agents, family operations, office parks. Several new registrations on one phone is a pattern worth a question. It is a count, not a verdict.

7. Safety measures, read as FMCSA publishes them

The Safety Measurement System publishes BASIC measures and alerts for carriers with enough inspections. Read the alerts and the vehicle and driver out-of-service rates against the inspection count. Many small carriers have no measures at all; that is an absence of data, not a clean record.

Then keep watching

Every check above can change the week after you approve the carrier. Authority lapses, insurance cancels, contacts change. A monitor that diffs your list against FMCSA's daily files and emails you only when something moves turns a one-time check into a standing one.

More: MC number vs USDOT number: what each one is and which one to check · Double brokering and carrier identity misuse: what shows up in the public record