Alabama has 35,629 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 20th most in the country. The largest share is based in Birmingham. About 52% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 11% hold active for-hire authority (below the national 15%).
New carriers in Alabama
468 new USDOT numbers in Alabama were registered in the last 90 days, 1.3% of the state's active carriers (a lower rate than the national 1.8%). New authorities aren't a problem in themselves, since every carrier starts somewhere, but many freight-fraud schemes use authorities only weeks old, so brokers often apply extra checks to them.
Risk signals in Alabama's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 191 | 0.54% |
| Revocation pending | 138 | 0.39% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 35 | 0.10% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 680 | 1.91% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 491 | 1.38% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 21,554 | 60.5% |
Alabama has 54 out-of-service orders in effect per 10,000 active carriers, below the national rate of 64. These are signals to look into, not verdicts about any company.
Fleet sizes
| Power units | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 power unit | 18,525 | 52.0% |
| 2 to 5 | 11,514 | 32.3% |
| 6 to 20 | 2,393 | 6.7% |
| 21 or more | 664 | 1.9% |
| None reported | 2,533 | 7.1% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | 1,781 |
| Mobile | 1,296 |
| Montgomery | 1,200 |
| Huntsville | 829 |
| Dothan | 547 |
| Tuscaloosa | 543 |
| Cullman | 477 |
| Athens | 349 |
| Bessemer | 344 |
| Decatur | 340 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in Alabama?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 35,629 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in Alabama, the 20th most of any state. 3,891 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in Alabama recently?
468 USDOT numbers based in Alabama were added in the last 90 days, including 104 in the last 30 days. That ranks 26th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a Alabama carrier before booking a load?
Confirm the USDOT number is active, the operating authority is active with liability insurance on file, there is no out-of-service order or pending revocation, and the phone number on FMCSA's record matches the person you're dealing with. You can run all of these checks at once with the free CarrierTell lookup.