MC number vs USDOT number

USDOT number

A USDOT number identifies a company that operates commercial vehicles. It's tied to the company's safety record: inspections, crashes, audits and its MCS-150 registration. Having a USDOT number alone does not mean a company is authorized to haul other people's freight across state lines for pay.

MC number (operating authority)

An MC number is a docket number for operating authority, FMCSA's permission to operate as a for-hire carrier (or broker or freight forwarder) in interstate commerce. Brokers usually ask for the MC number because it is the authority that must be active, with insurance on file, for a for-hire carrier to legally haul your load. FMCSA has announced plans to move to the USDOT number as the single identifier, so expect MC numbers to matter less over time.

Which should you check?

Both. Confirm the USDOT number is active and the operating authority behind the MC number is active with insurance on file. Make sure they belong to the same company: fraudsters sometimes pair a real MC number with a different USDOT number, or the reverse.

Looking them up

You can search either number in FMCSA's SAFER system, or paste either one into the free CarrierTell lookup, which accepts USDOT numbers and MC numbers (for example "MC 123456") and adds risk signals such as pending revocations, shared phones and recent contact changes.