North Carolina has 54,282 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 11th most in the country. The largest share is based in Charlotte. 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 North Carolina
1,270 new USDOT numbers in North Carolina were registered in the last 90 days, 2.3% 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 North Carolina's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 545 | 1.00% |
| Revocation pending | 543 | 1.00% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 93 | 0.17% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 1,086 | 2.00% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 650 | 1.20% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 23,523 | 43.3% |
North Carolina has 100 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 | 27,659 | 51.0% |
| 2 to 5 | 15,963 | 29.4% |
| 6 to 20 | 4,060 | 7.5% |
| 21 or more | 1,166 | 2.1% |
| None reported | 5,434 | 10.0% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Charlotte | 5,563 |
| Raleigh | 2,459 |
| Greensboro | 1,500 |
| Fayetteville | 1,114 |
| Durham | 924 |
| Winston Salem | 759 |
| Concord | 726 |
| Monroe | 713 |
| High Point | 620 |
| Wilmington | 580 |
Add CarrierTell to Chrome, free
Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in North Carolina?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 54,282 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in North Carolina, the 11th most of any state. 10,779 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in North Carolina recently?
1,270 USDOT numbers based in North Carolina were added in the last 90 days, including 357 in the last 30 days. That ranks 10th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a North Carolina 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.