How to Verify a Moving
Company's FMCSA License
A step-by-step walkthrough of the SAFER lookup — USDOT, MC number, operating authority, insurance, and broker bond. Five minutes. Zero cost. Every legitimate interstate move starts here.
📞 We Verify For You — Free (833) 555-8699Why FMCSA licensing matters
Every company that transports household goods across state lines for compensation must be licensed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This is not optional. Federal law (49 USC 13901) requires interstate motor carriers to register with the Secretary of Transportation, and unlicensed operation can carry civil penalties up to $11,000 per violation as well as criminal penalties for willful violations.
For consumers, FMCSA licensing matters for three reasons:
- Legal status. An unlicensed mover has no legal authority to transport your shipment interstate. If they do anyway, the contract is unenforceable in important ways, and your remedies are limited.
- Insurance. Licensed carriers must carry mandatory cargo and liability insurance at federal minimums (49 CFR 387). Unlicensed operators are uninsured — if your shipment is damaged or destroyed, there is nothing to claim against.
- Accountability. Licensed carriers have a documented record that the FMCSA, BBB, and state regulators can act on. Unlicensed operators can disappear and re-form overnight.
The cost of verification is five minutes of your time. The cost of skipping verification, if it goes wrong, is sometimes the entire shipment.
The two numbers you need
FMCSA identifies regulated entities with two distinct numbers. Both matter for an interstate household goods move.
USDOT number
The USDOT number is a unique identifier issued to a motor carrier for vehicle and safety tracking. It's tied to the carrier's fleet — inspections, crash reports, driver records, and safety ratings all roll up under the USDOT number. Federal regulations require commercial motor vehicles operating in interstate commerce to display the USDOT number on both sides of the vehicle. If you're unsure whether a truck on your driveway is from the company you booked with, the USDOT number painted on the door is the answer.
MC number (Motor Carrier number)
The MC number reflects the company's operating authority — the legal permission from FMCSA to transport goods for hire across state lines. The USDOT number is about the vehicles; the MC number is about the business. A carrier can have a USDOT number without having active MC authority — that's a common pattern for intrastate-only operators or for carriers whose authority has been revoked or suspended. For an interstate household goods move, you want an active MC number, not just an active USDOT.
Note for brokers: Brokers are typically issued an MC number for Broker Authority but may not have a USDOT (they don't operate vehicles). See our broker vs carrier guide for the differences.
What to ask: "Can you give me your USDOT and MC numbers so I can verify your authority on SAFER?" Any legitimate interstate mover will provide both immediately. Stalling, evasion, or "we'll send it later" is a stop signal.
The SAFER lookup, step by step
SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records) is the FMCSA's public-facing carrier database. It's free, requires no account, and works from any browser. Here's exactly what to do once you have the USDOT or MC number in hand.
Step 1 — Open SAFER
Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. The home page shows several search options. You're looking for "Company Snapshot." (Imagine a screenshot here showing the FMCSA SAFER landing page with a search panel reading "FMCSA Company Snapshot — enter USDOT, MC, or company name.")
Step 2 — Enter the USDOT number
Click "Company Snapshot," select "USDOT Number" as the search type, paste in the number, and submit. (Imagine a screenshot showing a text input labeled "USDOT Number" with a sample number entered and a search button.) The result is a single-page "Company Snapshot" with everything you need.
Step 3 — Read the Company Snapshot
The Company Snapshot displays:
- Legal Name and DBA Name — the registered business name and any "doing business as" name. These should match the company that quoted you. A mismatch is a red flag.
- Address and Phone — the registered place of business. Cross-check against the company's website and Google Streetview.
- USDOT Number, MC Number, and DUNS Number — the regulatory identifiers.
- Operating Status — should read "AUTHORIZED FOR Property" (carriers) and "Active." Anything else is a problem.
- Out of Service indicators — should read "No." A "Yes" means the carrier or specific vehicles are currently sidelined by enforcement.
- Fleet size — total power units and drivers. Useful for sanity checking ("national carrier" with 2 trucks is suspicious).
- Safety rating — Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory. Unrated is common for newer carriers but worth questioning.
- Inspection and crash summaries — last 24 months of roadside inspections, violations, and crashes.
Step 4 — Click through to Licensing & Insurance
The Company Snapshot links to the FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I) system. This is where the operating authority and insurance details live. (Imagine a screenshot showing a table labeled "Authority Information" with columns for Type, Status, Application Pending, Authority Granted.)
Step 5 — Check operating authority type and status
The L&I record shows authority by type:
- Authorized for Property — general freight authority.
- Authorized for Household Goods (HHG) — specific authority to transport household goods. For a consumer move, this is the one that matters.
- Authorized for Broker — broker authority. Brokers must have this; carriers performing actual transport do not need it.
- Contract Carrier — limited to specific shippers under contract, not the general public.
Status should read "ACTIVE." Anything else — "NONE," "REVOKED," "PENDING," "INACTIVE" — is a stop signal for that authority type.
Step 6 — Verify insurance on file
Scroll to "Insurance on File." A household goods carrier must show:
- BIPD (Bodily Injury & Property Damage) liability insurance at the federally mandated minimum — typically $750,000 for general freight, varying by commodity.
- Cargo insurance for household goods movers — federal minimum $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence for HHG carriers (49 CFR 387.303).
- BOC-3 (Process Agent) filing — designates an agent for service of process in every state of operation.
Brokers, instead of cargo insurance, must show:
- BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust fund of at least $75,000 (49 CFR 387.307). This is the consumer-recovery pool if the broker botches your move.
Missing or expired insurance, or a missing BOC-3, is disqualifying for serious moves. (Imagine a screenshot showing the "Active/Pending Insurance" table with rows for BIPD, Cargo, BMC-91, BOC-3, each with policy numbers and effective dates.)
Step 7 — Check the authority issue date
How long has the company held active authority? The L&I record shows when authority was first granted. Authority less than 12 months old is a yellow flag — not necessarily a scam, but worth weighing against complaint history. Established van lines often show authority dating back decades. Repeat-offender operators commonly shut down troubled companies and re-register under fresh entities, so a "brand new" carrier with no operating history deserves more scrutiny than an established one.
Step 8 — Look for prior cancellations
The L&I record shows current authority but not always the full prior-authority history of the same principal. For thorough vetting, search the principal's name across other FMCSA entities — if you find a pattern of revoked authorities under the same officer name, that's a serious red flag.
The SAFER record alone isn't enough. A carrier can hold active FMCSA authority and still have a long BBB complaint trail, multiple state AG actions, and consistent customer reports of hostage loads. SAFER tells you whether the company is legally allowed to move you; BBB and state AG tell you whether they should. Always check both.
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"Active" vs "Inactive" vs "Revoked"
Only "Active" operating authority is safe to book against. "Inactive" usually means a lapse in insurance or a pending administrative issue. "Revoked" means FMCSA has taken enforcement action. Even an inactive status often blocks the legal ability to perform the move on the day it matters. If you booked with a carrier whose authority later goes inactive, you have grounds to cancel without forfeiting deposit.
Operating authority categories
The three categories that come up for consumer moves:
- Common Carrier — Property/HHG. Holds itself out to the general public to transport household goods. The right category for a retail interstate move.
- Contract Carrier — Property. Operates under specific shipper contracts, not generally available to consumers. If your "moving company" has only contract carrier authority, ask why.
- Broker. Arranges transportation but does not perform it. Must hold Broker Authority and a surety bond. See our broker vs carrier guide.
Red flags inside the SAFER record
- Authority issued under 12 months ago with no longer-established affiliated entity. Repeat-offender operators churn through new registrations.
- Mismatched legal name and DBA. Acceptable for established companies with multiple brands; suspicious for new entities.
- Missing BIPD or cargo insurance. Federal minimums are not optional.
- Missing BOC-3 filing. Often signals broader compliance gaps.
- Recent out-of-service orders. Active enforcement is a stop signal.
- Unsatisfactory or conditional safety rating. The rating may not be specific to consumer service, but it's a quality signal.
- Crashes disproportionate to fleet size. A 4-truck fleet with 6 reportable crashes in 24 months is a different proposition than a 200-truck fleet with the same number.
- Discrepancy between SAFER address and website address. Possible alias or front operation.
Cross-references: don't stop at SAFER
SAFER tells you whether the company is licensed. It doesn't tell you whether they're good. Layer these checks on top:
BBB (Better Business Bureau)
Search by company name at bbb.org. Look at: number of complaints, complaint patterns (billing vs delivery vs damage), company response rate, and the underlying complaint narratives. The BBB rating matters less than the actual complaint stories — read 5 to 10 recent complaints to see whether the pattern matches scam markers (hostage loads, deposit theft, inventory adjustments).
State DOT registrations
A carrier doing both intrastate and interstate moves must hold state-level authority in addition to FMCSA authority. For intrastate moves, FMCSA authority alone isn't sufficient — most states require a state-issued household goods carrier license. Check the destination state's DOT or PUC (Public Utility Commission) site for state-level standing.
State attorney general complaint records
Many state AGs publish consumer complaint records or summary statistics by business. A pattern of state AG complaints, especially with formal investigations or settlements, is a serious red flag — and often a leading indicator that FMCSA enforcement is coming next.
FMCSA Licensing & Insurance — broker bond verification
For brokers specifically, go beyond SAFER to the L&I system at li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov and verify the surety bond directly. Note the surety company's name and the policy number. If a broker botches your move, the surety bond is the consumer-recovery pool — you'll need these details to file a claim.
When to re-verify
FMCSA records change. A carrier can hold active authority on the day you book and lose it before pickup. Verify at three points:
- Before signing the estimate. Establish baseline legitimacy.
- Before paying any deposit. Confirm authority is still active.
- The day before pickup. A last-minute revocation between booking and moving day is unusual but possible — and a carrier whose authority has lapsed cannot legally pick up your shipment.
If authority lapses between booking and pickup: Notify the carrier in writing that you are aware their operating authority is inactive and that you are canceling the contract without penalty. Demand a full deposit refund. File an FMCSA complaint at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov. Then book with a verified alternative.
Related guides
License verification is one piece of a larger pre-booking checklist. These companion guides cover the rest:
Independent reviews of major carriers
FAQ
Is a USDOT number enough, or do I need both USDOT and MC?
For an interstate household goods move, check both. The USDOT number identifies the vehicle and safety record; the MC number reflects the operating authority that legally permits the carrier to transport goods for hire across state lines. A company with a USDOT but no active MC authority cannot legally perform your interstate move.
What if the SAFER status shows "inactive" or "not authorized"?
Do not book. "Inactive," "Revoked," or "Not Authorized" means the company is not currently licensed to perform interstate moves. Common reasons include lapsed insurance, unpaid fees, or enforcement action. Even if the company tells you the status is a "paperwork issue," the legal effect is the same: they cannot lawfully move your shipment across state lines until authority is reinstated.
Can I trust a USDOT number that's only a few months old?
With caution. Brand-new operating authority is not by itself disqualifying — every carrier was new once. But repeat-offender operators commonly shut down problematic companies and re-register under fresh entities. Pair a young authority with a check of the principal's other registered entities, BBB pattern, and physical address before booking large-value moves.
What does "common carrier" mean on the SAFER record?
A common carrier holds itself out to the general public to transport goods for hire — the standard category for retail moving companies. Contract carriers, in contrast, transport under specific contracts with limited shippers. For a consumer interstate household goods move, you want a common carrier authorized for "Property" and specifically "Household Goods" (HHG).
Brokers don't have a USDOT — is that okay?
Yes. Brokers don't own trucks and don't need vehicle-based USDOT registration in the same way carriers do. What brokers must have is separate FMCSA Broker Authority (visible as "AUTHORIZED FOR Broker" on the L&I record) and a $75,000 surety bond on file (49 CFR 387.307). Many brokers do also display a USDOT number — but the broker authority is the key registration to verify.
What is BOC-3?
BOC-3 is the FMCSA filing that designates a process agent in every state where the carrier or broker operates. It ensures that if the company needs to be served with legal papers, there's an agent in each state to receive them. Missing BOC-3 on the L&I record means the company can't be effectively served in some states — a procedural problem that often signals broader compliance gaps.
What is "Out of Service" on a SAFER record?
"Out of Service" indicates that FMCSA, a state agency, or a roadside inspection has determined the carrier or vehicle cannot legally operate. For carriers, it means trucks are sidelined; for drivers, it means the driver cannot operate. An out-of-service order on your prospective mover is a stop signal — even if other parts of their record look clean.
How do I check a broker's surety bond?
On the FMCSA Licensing & Insurance system (li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov), look up the broker by MC number and view "Insurance on File." Brokers must show a BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust fund of at least $75,000. The surety company's name and policy number are listed. If you're scammed by a broker, you file a claim against this bond — so confirming it exists is consumer-protection critical.
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