Virginia has 25,390 active motor carriers registered with FMCSA, the 28th most in the country. The largest share is based in Richmond. About 50% are single-truck operations (close to the national average), and 25% hold active for-hire authority (above the national 15%).
New carriers in Virginia
691 new USDOT numbers in Virginia were registered in the last 90 days, 2.7% 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 Virginia's carrier records
| Signal (active carriers) | Carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-service order in effect | 273 | 1.08% |
| Revocation pending | 236 | 0.93% |
| For-hire authority, no liability insurance on file | 50 | 0.20% |
| Phone shared with other carriers | 504 | 1.99% |
| Email shared with other carriers | 457 | 1.80% |
| MCS-150 more than two years old | 9,658 | 38.0% |
Virginia has 108 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 | 12,736 | 50.2% |
| 2 to 5 | 7,033 | 27.7% |
| 6 to 20 | 2,000 | 7.9% |
| 21 or more | 749 | 2.9% |
| None reported | 2,872 | 11.3% |
Cities with the most carriers
| City | Active carriers |
|---|---|
| Richmond | 1,304 |
| Alexandria | 974 |
| Woodbridge | 964 |
| Manassas | 829 |
| Chesapeake | 747 |
| Virginia Beach | 616 |
| Fredericksburg | 586 |
| Norfolk | 575 |
| Sterling | 569 |
| Newport News | 405 |
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Frequently asked questions
How many trucking companies are in Virginia?
As of 2026-11-09, FMCSA's census lists 25,390 active USDOT-registered motor carriers with a physical address in Virginia, the 28th most of any state. 6,366 of them hold active for-hire operating authority (an MC number).
How many new trucking companies started in Virginia recently?
691 USDOT numbers based in Virginia were added in the last 90 days, including 195 in the last 30 days. That ranks 17th among states for new registrations.
How do I check a Virginia 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.