Carrier vetting resources

Everything FMCSA records about a carrier is public, but it's scattered across a dozen systems and the SAFER snapshot most people check shows only a sliver. These guides and free tools show you how to pull it together and make sense of the data: the safety percentiles, the operating map, the fleet, and the risk flags. Start with the full walkthrough, or jump to a tool below.

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How to vet a carrier

The full walkthrough, on a real carrier: what's in the federal record, how to read the safety percentiles and the operating map, and what each flag means. The free lookup is right there when you're ready to run your own.

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Free tools

Free MC number lookup

Look up any motor carrier by MC number and pull the full report.

Free DOT number lookup

Search by USDOT number for authority, insurance, safety, and the operating map.

Free FMCSA safety check

Out-of-service rates and fleetfax's peer-percentile estimates against same-size carriers.

Is this carrier legit?

Check a carrier, and learn the double-brokering and reincarnated-carrier patterns to watch for.

Guides & reference

USDOT vs MC numbers

What each number is, who needs which, and what the Motus transition changes.

Carrier vetting glossary

Plain-English definitions for the FMCSA terms that show up in a report, from BASIC to BIPD.

Vetting FAQ

Common questions about the data, the free report, and how the checks work.

Why most carriers have no safety rating

About 94% of carriers have never been rated by FMCSA, and why "unrated" does not mean unsafe.