How to Find Carriers to Dispatch
Start with FMCSA's free Company Snapshot, which looks up one carrier at a time by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name.
The snapshot is the carrier's identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including any safety rating, a roadside out-of-service summary, and crash information.
Steps
- Open FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot.
- Search by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name. The snapshot is one carrier at a time and free.
- Read the operating authority status on the snapshot.
- For interstate operating authority, insurance, or a process agent, use FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance carrier search or call 1-800-832-5660.
- Read the safety rating, if there is one, plus the roadside out-of-service inspection summary and the crash information, before you rely on the record.
FAQ
Where do I look up a carrier?
FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Search by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name.
What does the Company Snapshot include?
FMCSA describes it as a concise electronic record of identification, size, commodity information, and the safety record, including the safety rating if any, a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information.
What does NOT AUTHORIZED mean?
On the Company Snapshot, NOT AUTHORIZED means the entity does not have any operating authority and is not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations. SAFER's help page says NOT AUTHORIZED does not apply to private or intrastate operations.
Where do I check insurance?
FMCSA's public FAQ says to use the Licensing and Insurance system and choose Carrier search for interstate operating authority, insurance, or a process agent. If you cannot use the internet, call 1-800-832-5660.
Is a name search enough?
FMCSA allows a search by company name, USDOT number, or MC/MX number. A name can match more than one company. Use the USDOT or MC/MX number from the carrier before you treat a snapshot as that carrier.
The public lookup is the SAFER Company Snapshot. FMCSA says it is an ad-hoc query, one carrier at a time, at no charge. The field-by-field reading is in the FMCSA carrier lookup guide.
Search the Company Snapshot
Users can search by DOT number, MC/MX number, or company name. That is the whole search form FMCSA publishes on the snapshot page. There is no fee.
A company name can be shared or spelled more than one way. When the carrier gives you a USDOT or MC number, search that number and compare the legal name on the snapshot to the name they gave you.
Read operating authority
FMCSA updated the Company Snapshot so the operating authority line is one of these:
- AUTHORIZED FOR Passenger, Property, or Household Goods. This lists the specific operating authorities the carrier or broker is allowed to operate.
- NOT AUTHORIZED. The entity does not have any operating authority and is not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.
- OUT-OF-SERVICE. The carrier is under an out-of-service order and is not authorized to operate.
SAFER's help page adds that NOT AUTHORIZED does not apply to private or intrastate operations, and that an inactive USDOT number can mean the biennial MCS-150 update was not completed under 49 CFR 390.19(b)(4). The help page is safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/saferhelp.aspx. The status definitions are also in FMCSA's FAQ, Why is my operating authority status shown as NOT AUTHORIZED on SAFER?
Check insurance and the safety record
For interstate operating authority, insurance, or a process agent, FMCSA's FAQ says to open the Licensing and Insurance system and select Carrier search, or call 1-800-832-5660. The FAQ is Where do I go to look up a motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder's interstate operating authority?
The Company Snapshot itself includes the safety rating if FMCSA has issued one, a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information. Read those on the snapshot you pulled. This guide does not restate a particular carrier's numbers.
Create your free SellDispatch account and keep the USDOT, the MC number, and the call notes on one carrier file.
Decide whether you can dispatch that carrier
A snapshot is a lookup, not an appointment. Whether you need broker authority depends on the work, not on the carrier's USDOT number. That analysis is in how to become a truck dispatcher. If you are going to work as the carrier's agent, the written appointment is the dispatcher-carrier contract template.
TODO: FMCSA does not publish a directory of carriers who want a dispatcher. This guide does not invent a calling script or a purchased-list process.
Related
Start dispatching
Open SellDispatch and pull a carrier list. Free stays usable.