MC number vs USDOT number: what each one tells you
The difference between a carrier's USDOT number and its MC number, which carriers have which, and how to look either one up.
Updated · 4 min read
Carriers, brokers and shippers trade two numbers all day: the USDOT number and the MC number. They come from the same agency but mean different things, and not every company has both.
The USDOT number: who the company is
The FMCSA gives a USDOT number to companies that operate commercial vehicles in interstate commerce (and, in many states, intrastate too). It identifies the company in every safety record the FMCSA keeps: inspections, crashes, audits and compliance reviews.
- Every motor carrier that needs to register has one, whether it hauls for hire or moves its own goods.
- It never changes and is never reused.
- The company must update its registration (the MCS-150 form) at least every two years.
The MC number: permission to haul for hire
An MC number is a docket number for operating authority: permission to transport regulated freight for compensation across state lines. Brokers and freight forwarders get authority too, under the same MC prefix or FF for freight forwarders; Mexico-domiciled carriers get MX numbers.
- A private carrier hauling only its own goods needs a USDOT number but no MC number.
- Authority becomes active once the FMCSA has the carrier's insurance filing and its process agent designation (form BOC-3) on file.
- Authority can be pending, active or inactive. If the insurance lapses, it's revoked.
The FMCSA has been working towards using the USDOT number alone as the identifier for every company. Until that's complete, most brokers and load boards still ask for the MC number, so you'll keep seeing both.
Side by side
| USDOT number | MC number | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Company ID for safety records | Operating authority docket |
| Who has one | Registered motor carriers, for hire or private | For-hire interstate carriers, brokers, forwarders |
| What a dispatcher checks | Safety record, fleet size, contact details | Authority status and grant date |
| Typical format | 7 or 8 digits | MC- followed by up to 7 digits |
Which one should a dispatcher look at?
Both. The MC record tells you whether the carrier can legally haul for hire right now and when it started. The USDOT record tells you who they are, how many trucks they run and how to reach them. A carrier with an active MC authority granted in the last few weeks is a new authority, and usually the best prospect on your list.
Check any carrier with the free MC and USDOT lookup, or read the full guide to FMCSA carrier data.