United States · FMCSA · Carrier records
FMCSA carrier lookup guide.
FMCSA keeps carrier data in three public systems that answer different questions. Pick the question and the guide names the system, links it and says what you will find.
Short answer: Three FMCSA systems cover a carrier: the SAFER Company Snapshot for identity, size, cargo, inspection and crash summaries, safety rating and operating status; the Safety Measurement System (SMS) for inspection and crash data, investigation results and the public BASIC measures, updated monthly; and the Licensing and Insurance (L&I) Carrier Search for interstate for-hire carriers that have been granted authority or have applications pending, with insurance filings. SMS carries a statutory caution: readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier’s overall safety condition simply based on the data displayed.
What do you need to know?
Result
Choose a question and press Show the system.
Which system holds what
| System | What it shows | Where |
|---|---|---|
| SAFER Company Snapshot | Legal and DBA name, addresses, USDOT and MC/MX/FF numbers, entity type, operation classification, power units, drivers, MCS-150 date and mileage, cargo carried, inspections (US and Canada), crashes, carrier safety rating, operating status | safer.fmcsa.dot.gov |
| Safety Measurement System (SMS) | Public inspection and crash data, investigation results and public BASIC measures; data current as of October 30, 2026 and updated November 9, 2026 when read | ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS |
| Licensing and Insurance (L&I) | Interstate for-hire carriers granted authority or with applications pending; licensing and insurance status | li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov |
| Mover Registration Search | Interstate household goods movers: registration status, authority type, complaints, possibly a safety rating | ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg |
Reading the SAFER snapshot
SAFER’s help page calls the snapshot a condensed view of the company’s profile as maintained by the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). The identification block carries the Legal Name, a DBA Name if one was filed, the physical and mailing addresses, the USDOT# (which the help calls the census number, issued sequentially with no internal coded structure) and the MC/MX/FF numbers, described as the carrier number issued by FMCSA granting authority for interstate operations. Operation Classification tells you whether the carrier is Authorized-For-Hire, Exempt-For-Hire, Private (property), a passenger carrier, U.S. Mail, a government fleet or another class; a carrier can hold more than one. Power Units counts trucks, tractors, tank trucks, coaches, buses, vans and limousines owned or leased, and Drivers is the total employed.
Operating Status codes
| Status | Meaning (SAFER Help) |
|---|---|
| ACTIVE | The entity’s US DOT number is active. |
| AUTHORIZED FOR Passenger, Property or HHG | Lists the specific operating authorities the carrier (or broker) is allowed to operate. |
| NOT AUTHORIZED | The USDOT number is active, but the carrier has no operating authority and is not authorized to operate as an interstate, for-hire carrier. SAFER notes this does not apply to private or intrastate operations. |
| OUT-OF-SERVICE | The carrier is under an out-of-service order and is not authorized to operate; Out of Service Date shows the earliest order. |
| Inactive USDOT Number | Inactive per 49 CFR 390.19(b)(4) because the biennial update of MCS-150 data was not completed. |
Safety ratings, inspections and crashes
The Carrier Safety Rating field holds one of three codes: Satisfactory, where records indicate no evidence of substantial non-compliance with safety requirements; Conditional, where the carrier was out of compliance with one or more safety requirements; and Unsatisfactory, where records indicate evidence of substantial noncompliance. The help explains that since October 1986 ratings have come from a Safety Review or a Compliance Review, and the effective date is the date the review was entered into MCMIS. Many carriers have no rating at all because no review has been done. The Inspections table counts roadside inspections in the past two years by vehicle, driver and hazmat, built from the six inspection levels, with a row for inspections that resulted in an out-of-service status and a National Average row that SAFER defines as the percentage of all inspections in the USA that resulted in an out-of-service status for the year 1999. Crashes are recorded once each at their highest severity: fatal, injury or tow.
What SMS adds, and its caution
SMS is FMCSA’s prioritisation tool. Its notice explains that, pursuant to the FAST Act of 2015, certain property-carrier information is no longer displayed publicly: inspection and crash data, investigation results and measures for the public BASICs are available, but the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs remain hidden from public view; passenger-carrier information remains fully public. The site states the caution in full: readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier’s overall safety condition simply based on the data displayed in this system, and unless a motor carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR Part 385 or has otherwise been ordered to discontinue operations, it is authorized to operate on the nation’s roadways. SMS itself points users to SAFER for safety ratings and to L&I for licensing and insurance status.
Worked example
A shipper is offered a load by a carrier it has not used. The SAFER snapshot shows ACTIVE, AUTHORIZED FOR Property, 12 power units and no safety rating. That blank is not a verdict either way. The shipper opens SMS to read the carrier’s inspection and crash record and the public BASIC measures, then L&I to confirm the authority is granted rather than pending and that an insurance filing is on file. Only after all three does the shipper decide, and the SMS caution still applies.
Method
The picker maps six common questions to the system that answers them and links it; it makes no request to FMCSA. Field definitions and status codes were read from SAFER Help, the SMS home page notice and the L&I menu page on November 11, 2026. On that date the L&I site carried a banner about registration functions moving to a new FMCSA system, while its Carrier Search remained available.
What this does not cover
- How a BASIC percentile is computed: SMS publishes its methodology.
- Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries, which require a login.
- State-only carriers identified by a State Carrier ID rather than a USDOT number.
- Whether a particular carrier is safe; the SMS caution is the government’s own answer to that.
Figures read from the sources below on November 11, 2026. Last updated November 11, 2026.
Sources
- FMCSA SAFER: Help, data field names (snapshot contents, operation classification, inspections, crashes, safety rating, operating status) (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- FMCSA SAFER: Company Snapshot (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS): FAST Act notice and use of SMS data (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- FMCSA Licensing and Insurance public site: Carrier Search (retrieved November 11, 2026)
- FMCSA: Search Movers & Complaint History (retrieved November 11, 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA blank safety rating in SAFER means the carrier failed its review.
What the source saysSAFER’s help lists only Satisfactory, Conditional and Unsatisfactory as rating codes, and the SMS site says a carrier is authorized to operate unless it has an Unsatisfactory rating or has been ordered to discontinue operations. [2]
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Often assumedSMS displays every safety score for a trucking company.
What the source saysThe SMS notice says that under the FAST Act of 2015 the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs for property carriers remain hidden from public view. [2]
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Often assumedNOT AUTHORIZED in SAFER means a private fleet is running illegally.
What the source saysSAFER’s help says NOT AUTHORIZED means the entity has no operating authority as an interstate for-hire carrier and notes that it does not apply to private or intrastate operations. [1]
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Often assumedInsurance filings appear on the SAFER snapshot.
What the source saysSAFER’s help lists the snapshot’s contents as identification, size, cargo, inspection, crash and rating data, and the SMS site points to li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov for licensing and insurance status. [1]
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Often assumedSAFER’s out-of-service percentage is compared with this year’s national fleet.
What the source saysSAFER’s help says the National Average row is the percentage of all inspections conducted in the USA that resulted in an out-of-service status for the year 1999. [1]
- FMCSA SAFER: Help (data field names and status codes)
- FMCSA Safety Measurement System: notice and use of SMS data
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the FMCSA carrier lookup?
There are three: the SAFER Company Snapshot for identity, status and rating, the Safety Measurement System for inspection and crash data, and the Licensing and Insurance search for authority and insurance filings.
What does NOT AUTHORIZED mean in SAFER?
SAFER’s help says the USDOT number is active but the carrier has no operating authority and is not authorized to operate as an interstate, for-hire carrier; it does not apply to private or intrastate operations.
Why does a carrier have no safety rating?
Ratings come from a Safety Review or Compliance Review, and many carriers have never had one. The SMS site says a carrier is authorized to operate unless it has an Unsatisfactory rating or has been ordered to stop.
What are the three safety ratings?
Satisfactory, Conditional and Unsatisfactory, as defined on SAFER’s help page.
Does SMS show everything about a trucking company?
No. Under the FAST Act of 2015 the Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs for property carriers are hidden from public view.
Where are insurance filings?
In the Licensing and Insurance system at li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov, which SMS itself points to for licensing and insurance status.
How current is SMS?
When read on November 11, 2026 the site said data current as of October 30, 2026, updated November 9, 2026, with the next update the week of December 7, 2026.
Does this page query FMCSA?
No. It names and links the system for your question; nothing you choose is sent anywhere.
Not legal advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal advice, and it is not affiliated with the agency or regulator. Use the official search for the actual result. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.