USDOT Number Lookup: Find Any Carrier for Free

A USDOT number lookup is free. FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot is available through a one-carrier-at-a-time query at no charge, and you can search by DOT number, MC/MX number or company name. Use it to find your own number, to check a carrier you plan to hire, or to confirm that the name on your truck matches the registration.

There is more than one official place to look. This guide covers each, and what to do with the result.

Four official places to search

SAFER Company Snapshot. FMCSA's company lookup. FMCSA says users can search by DOT number, MC/MX number or company name (FMCSA SAFER).

Licensing & Insurance (L&I). This is where operating authority shows up. FMCSA says its carrier search provides information about interstate for-hire carriers that have been granted authority or have applications pending (FMCSA L&I). Use it when you want the MC side of a record.

Motus public search. The new registration system has a public search too. FMCSA says you can search by USDOT number, legal name or DBA to see the registration record (FMCSA).

Downloadable data. If you need many records at once, FMCSA says the public can use Data.Transportation.Gov to download public data on registered entities (FMCSA). Most truck owners will never need this.

How to find your own USDOT number

Try these in order:

1. Your paperwork. Any registration confirmation you saved from when you registered, or your account in Motus if you set one up.
2. A lookup by name. Search your company name in SAFER or Motus public search.
3. A truck you already lettered. If the door already carries a number, search that number and check the name beside it matches your record.

If you have never registered, there is no number to find. See how to get a USDOT number. If you are new to the idea, what is a USDOT number explains it.

Look up a USDOT number by company name

Searching by name is handy when you do not have the number. FMCSA lists company name as a search option in SAFER, and legal name or DBA in Motus public search. A few habits help:

• Search the legal name and any trade name you use, one at a time.
• Try the name without punctuation, then with LLC or Inc. as you would write it on a contract.
• If several companies have similar names, use the USDOT number to be sure which one is which. A name search is a starting point, and the number is the identifier.

What to check on the record

We will not describe each field, since FMCSA changes its pages and the labels may differ from what you see. These are the checks that matter:

• Name. Compare the legal name, and any DBA shown, with the spelling you plan to put on the truck.
• Number. Read it against the number on the door, character for character.
• Authority. For a for-hire carrier, run the number through Licensing & Insurance to see whether operating authority is on file.

Check the name on your truck against your record

This is the lookup that matters most before you order lettering. The marking rule asks for the carrier's legal name or a single trade name as listed on its Form MCS-150, and the USDOT number (49 CFR 390.21). FMCSA's summary says the name on the vehicle must match that record (FMCSA highlights).

So:

1. Search your number.
2. Copy the name exactly as shown.
3. Compare it to your decal text, including spelling, abbreviations and any LLC or Inc.
4. If they differ, fix the one that is wrong before ordering.

Our company name guide covers DBAs, leases and rentals. When the text is right, the USDOT Decal Sticker carries the number, and the Custom USDOT Logo adds the name and city.

Checking a carrier you plan to hire

A lookup is a good first step before you hand a load or a contract to a carrier.

• Take the USDOT number from the truck door, since the marking rule asks for it, and search it.
• Check the name on the record against the name on the door. A mismatch is a question to ask, not proof of a problem. A lease, a rental, or an "operated by" line can explain a different name.
• If they claim to haul for hire, look at Licensing & Insurance for operating authority. Our MC vs DOT guide explains why that is a separate record.
• Remember that numbers belong to one company. FMCSA says a USDOT number may not be sold, transferred, rented or leased (FMCSA), so a number should not be passed between companies.

Use official sites only

FMCSA's fraud alerts page lists fake look-alike sites for Motus and SAFER. Type the official address yourself or follow the links on this page, and be careful with any site that asks for payment to show you a record that FMCSA shows free.