FMCSA carrier lookup in code: USDOT, MC number, authority and insurance
FMCSA publishes its carrier data as open files on data.transportation.gov, and you can query them with no API key. The Company Census File gives a carrier's name, location and fleet size by USDOT number. Operating authority and insurance filings sit in separate daily-updated files, one row per docket (MC) number with the USDOT number alongside. To vet a carrier, you join them.
This guide is independent and is not an official FMCSA or USDOT resource.
How do I look up a carrier by USDOT number in Python?
The census file is dataset az4n-8mr2, and its open-data API takes a $where filter:
import json, urllib.parse, urllib.request
q = urllib.parse.urlencode({"$select": "dot_number,legal_name,phy_city,phy_state,power_units", "$where": "dot_number=80806"})
url = "https://data.transportation.gov/resource/az4n-8mr2.json?" + q
req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={"User-Agent": "example (mailto:you@example.com)"})
with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=60) as r:
print(json.load(r))
On 1 November 2026 it printed one row: USDOT 80806, J B HUNT TRANSPORT INC, Lowell, AR, with 25,280 power units.
Where do authority and insurance records live?
| File on data.transportation.gov | Dataset ID | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Company Census File | az4n-8mr2 |
Name, location, fleet size, safety rating, by USDOT number |
| Motus Carrier - All With History | inys-ebih |
Operating authority by docket number |
| Motus AuthHist - All With History | yu5v-wbh6 |
Authority history, including grant dates |
| Motus Insur - All With History | c5y8-a4uz |
Insurance and bond filings on file |
| Motus InsHist - All With History | 3uet-3z4i |
Insurance history and cancellations |
What trips people up?
- Two keys. The census file has one row per USDOT number. Authority and insurance have a row per docket number (MC, FF or MX) and filing. One company can have several dockets, so join on both to get one row per company.
- A filing isn't proof of cover. Insurance shows what's filed with FMCSA. Confirm cover with the insurer or the certificate of insurance before you rely on it.
- Most carriers are not rated. Most have never been given a safety rating.
- New authority is published daily. To find newly authorised carriers, read grant dates from the authority history file.
- Be polite. data.transportation.gov's robots.txt asks for a crawl delay of one second.
We built this
Disclosure: Your Evenings built and sells this. It's independent and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. The FMCSA Carrier Lookup Actor on Apify Store joins the census, authority and insurance files on USDOT and docket number and returns one row per company.
- Three ways in. Look up to 1,000 USDOT and MC numbers, search for companies whose legal or DBA name contains your words, or list companies granted new authority in a date window, by state and authority type.
- Authority and insurance side by side. For each authority you see the BIPD coverage FMCSA requires and the amount on file, whether cargo insurance or a broker bond is required and filed, and any filing with a cancellation date ahead.
- Monitor mode. Schedule a carrier list to get only companies whose status, authority, insurance, rating or suspensions changed, or a saved search to get only new companies.
- Free status rows for numbers that aren't valid or aren't found.
Pricing: $0.002 per carrier row, plus $0.01 per monitor run that returns results and a small Actor start fee. Vetting 1,000 carriers costs 1,000 × $0.002 = $2.00, plus the start fee.
FAQ
Do I need an API key for FMCSA data? No. The census, authority and insurance files on data.transportation.gov can be read with no key.
Can I look up a carrier by MC number? Yes. Authority and insurance rows carry the docket (MC) number and the USDOT number, so you can start from either.
Does an insurance filing on record mean the carrier is covered? Not on its own. It shows what's filed with FMCSA. Confirm cover with the insurer or the certificate of insurance.
Why does a carrier show no safety rating? Most carriers have never been given an FMCSA safety rating, so they show as not rated.
Product names and logos belong to their owners. Your Evenings is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Carrier data from FMCSA's public files on data.transportation.gov. Your Evenings is not affiliated with or endorsed by FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation.