Maryland has 44,364 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 17th most in the country. The largest share is based in Baltimore. About 54% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 14% hold active for-hire authority (close to the national average).
New carriers in Maryland
755 new USDOT numbers in Maryland were registered in the last 90 days, 1.7% of the state's active carriers (close to the national average). 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 Maryland's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 343 | 0.77% |
| Revocation pending | 190 | 0.43% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 47 | 0.11% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 792 | 1.79% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 528 | 1.19% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 22,149 | 49.9% |
Maryland has 77 out-of-service orders in effect per 10,000 active carriers, above 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 | 24,055 | 54.2% |
| 2 to 5 | 13,203 | 29.8% |
| 6 to 20 | 3,006 | 6.8% |
| 21 or more | 842 | 1.9% |
| None reported | 3,258 | 7.3% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Baltimore | 4,328 |
| Silver Spring | 1,450 |
| Frederick | 1,078 |
| Gaithersburg | 940 |
| Laurel | 889 |
| Hyattsville | 880 |
| Glen Burnie | 828 |
| Hagerstown | 776 |
| Upper Marlboro | 684 |
| Rockville | 677 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in Maryland?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 44,364 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in Maryland, the 17th most of any state. 6,029 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in Maryland recently?
755 USDOT numbers based in Maryland were added in the last 90 days, including 205 in the last 30 days. That ranks 14th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a Maryland 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.