Kentucky has 43,436 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 18th most in the country. The largest share is based in Louisville. About 56% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 9% hold active for-hire authority (below the national 15%).
New carriers in Kentucky
550 new USDOT numbers in Kentucky 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 Kentucky's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 82 | 0.19% |
| Revocation pending | 100 | 0.23% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 21 | 0.05% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 715 | 1.65% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 589 | 1.36% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 23,721 | 54.6% |
Kentucky has 19 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 | 24,481 | 56.4% |
| 2 to 5 | 13,645 | 31.4% |
| 6 to 20 | 2,621 | 6.0% |
| 21 or more | 701 | 1.6% |
| None reported | 1,988 | 4.6% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Louisville | 4,874 |
| Lexington | 1,963 |
| Bowling Green | 1,052 |
| Owensboro | 632 |
| London | 608 |
| Nicholasville | 576 |
| Richmond | 516 |
| Somerset | 512 |
| Winchester | 424 |
| Paducah | 422 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in Kentucky?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 43,436 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in Kentucky, the 18th most of any state. 3,743 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in Kentucky recently?
550 USDOT numbers based in Kentucky were added in the last 90 days, including 158 in the last 30 days. That ranks 24th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a Kentucky 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.