Glossary
Interstate vs intrastate operation
Interstate commerce means crossing a state line, or hauling freight that is moving between states even if the truck itself never leaves one. Intrastate commerce stays entirely within a single state. The distinction decides which rulebook applies: FMCSA operating authority and federal insurance filings are requirements of interstate for-hire operation.
Why it matters when reading a record
An intrastate-only carrier can legitimately show no federal operating authority and no federal insurance filing; that is not evidence of wrongdoing, it is a different regulatory lane (state requirements apply instead, and many states issue USDOT numbers for intrastate fleets). The mistake to avoid is the reverse: a carrier quoting an interstate load while holding no active federal authority is a blocking issue, not a technicality.
How fleetfax handles it
fleetfax distinguishes the two rather than painting every missing filing red: the report marks intrastate operation distinctly, and insurance flags are gated on whether a federal filing is actually required for that carrier. The right reading of an intrastate record is "federal filings not required", not "clean" and not "missing".
Related terms
Operating authority
FMCSA's grant of legal permission to operate for hire: common, contract, or broker. Active, inactive, pending, revoked, and the gaps in between.
USDOT number
The federal registration number every interstate carrier must hold. The primary key of the federal carrier record.
BIPD insurance (public liability)
Bodily injury and property damage liability coverage, the insurance federal law requires for-hire interstate carriers to keep on file with FMCSA. Minimum $750,000 for general freight, higher for oil and certain hazmat.
fleetfax reads public FMCSA data and is not affiliated with FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. This page explains terminology; it is not legal advice.