New Jersey has 49,903 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 15th most in the country. The largest share is based in Newark. About 52% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 18% hold active for-hire authority (above the national 15%).
New carriers in New Jersey
1,491 new USDOT numbers in New Jersey were registered in the last 90 days, 3.0% of the state's active carriers (a higher 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 New Jersey's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 638 | 1.28% |
| Revocation pending | 602 | 1.21% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 122 | 0.24% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 1,097 | 2.20% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 1,056 | 2.12% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 18,881 | 37.8% |
New Jersey has 128 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 | 25,789 | 51.7% |
| 2 to 5 | 13,983 | 28.0% |
| 6 to 20 | 3,860 | 7.7% |
| 21 or more | 1,286 | 2.6% |
| None reported | 4,985 | 10.0% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Newark | 2,040 |
| Elizabeth | 1,424 |
| Paterson | 1,213 |
| Jersey City | 1,010 |
| Trenton | 687 |
| Clifton | 681 |
| Edison | 658 |
| Linden | 656 |
| Perth Amboy | 645 |
| Toms River | 549 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in New Jersey?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 49,903 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in New Jersey, the 15th most of any state. 8,902 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in New Jersey recently?
1,491 USDOT numbers based in New Jersey were added in the last 90 days, including 460 in the last 30 days. That ranks 7th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a New Jersey 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.