Iowa has 26,839 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 25th most in the country. The largest share is based in Des Moines. About 51% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 20% hold active for-hire authority (above the national 15%).
New carriers in Iowa
314 new USDOT numbers in Iowa were registered in the last 90 days, 1.2% 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 Iowa's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 73 | 0.27% |
| Revocation pending | 69 | 0.26% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 17 | 0.06% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 474 | 1.77% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 329 | 1.23% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 11,350 | 42.3% |
Iowa has 27 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 | 13,582 | 50.6% |
| 2 to 5 | 8,888 | 33.1% |
| 6 to 20 | 2,222 | 8.3% |
| 21 or more | 716 | 2.7% |
| None reported | 1,431 | 5.3% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Des Moines | 1,047 |
| Cedar Rapids | 584 |
| Davenport | 445 |
| Sioux City | 420 |
| Waterloo | 395 |
| Dubuque | 381 |
| Council Bluffs | 316 |
| Ankeny | 209 |
| Urbandale | 193 |
| Iowa City | 191 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in Iowa?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 26,839 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in Iowa, the 25th most of any state. 5,457 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in Iowa recently?
314 USDOT numbers based in Iowa were added in the last 90 days, including 85 in the last 30 days. That ranks 31st among states for new registrations.
How do I check a Iowa 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.