New trucking authorities: how to find new carriers

In the Company Census File of 2026-10-03, ~100,000 of the ~915,000 active FMCSA-registered carriers with an MCS-150 update in the last 24 months got their USDOT number in the previous 12 months.

What is the difference between a USDOT number and an MC number?

A USDOT number identifies a carrier for safety purposes, and an MC number is an operating authority that lets a company haul for hire or arrange freight across state lines. Many carriers have both.

• USDOT number. Companies that run commercial vehicles carrying passengers or cargo in interstate commerce must register with FMCSA and get one. FMCSA uses it to track a company's audits, inspections and crashes. Many states also require a USDOT number for intrastate carriers (FMCSA, Do I Need a USDOT Number?).
• Operating authority (docket number). Companies that carry passengers, or carry or arrange the transport of federally regulated goods owned by others, for pay in interstate commerce need operating authority in addition to a USDOT number. FMCSA identifies it as an "MC", "FF" or "MX" number depending on its type. Private carriers hauling their own goods don't need it (FMCSA, Get Operating Authority).

So a new USDOT number shows a new registered operator, including private fleets that haul their own goods. A new MC authority shows a company that intends to haul or broker freight for others.

What does a new authority need before it can operate?

Insurance or a bond, on file with FMCSA. FMCSA "will not grant operating authority registration until the registrant has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility on file", and the applicant's insurer or surety files the forms on its behalf (FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements). The minimums in FMCSA's chart include:

Source: FMCSA, Insurance Filing Requirements, last updated 26 March 2026. Hazardous materials and passenger carriers have higher minimums.

Insurance agencies watch new authorities for that reason. Every new for-hire carrier has to buy liability cover, and every new broker needs a bond, before FMCSA grants the authority.

How big are carriers when they start?

Most carriers are very small. Across the whole register, 50% of active carriers report a single power unit:

Counts of active FMCSA-registered carriers with an MCS-150 update in the last 24 months, Company Census File of 2026-10-03. The exact figures are in trucking-companies-register-2026-10.csv.

The American Trucking Associations counts a narrower group, "almost 580,000 active US motor carriers registered with FMCSA that own or lease at least one tractor" as of June 2025, and says 91.5% of carriers operate 10 or fewer trucks (ATA). New carriers are likely to start at the small end of this table, and a one-truck carrier is often a single person. You will usually deal with the owner directly, so keep the offer simple.

Where do new authorities show up after the Motus switch?

FMCSA is moving registration to Motus, its new USDOT registration system. On the federal open data portal, the legacy Licensing and Insurance file, "Carrier - All With History", was last refreshed on 14 May 2026 and will not be updated again (data.transportation.gov, 6eyk-hxee). New grants now appear in the Motus authority history, which records the date each authority's status changed (data.transportation.gov, yu5v-wbh6).

If you pull new authorities yourself:

1. Use both files. Grants up to 14 May 2026 are in the legacy file; later ones are in Motus. Until the migration finishes, many existing authorities appear only in the legacy snapshot.
2. Use the grant date, not the application date. An application can be dismissed if the insurance filing doesn't arrive in time, so not every applicant becomes a carrier.
3. Separate new businesses from re-grants. A carrier that adds a second authority type, or is reinstated after a revocation, also shows a new grant.
4. Join to the Company Census File by USDOT number for the address, phone, fleet size and cargo.

We plan a monthly feed of new trucking authorities built this way; it isn't published yet.

Who buys new-authority data?

Businesses whose product a new carrier or broker needs in its first months:

• Insurance agencies writing commercial auto, cargo and physical damage cover, and surety providers for broker bonds.
• Factoring companies, because small carriers often sell their invoices to get paid faster.
• Truck and trailer dealers, leasing companies and lenders.
• Fuel card, ELD, dispatch, load board and compliance service providers.
• Freight brokers looking for new capacity. Brokers themselves are a separate group: active property-broker operating authorities numbered ~25,000 in FMCSA's authority data on 2026-10-03, and they are on the freight broker email list.

Contact rules still apply. Emails to carriers follow CAN-SPAM. Many small carriers list a mobile phone, and autodialed or prerecorded calls and texts to mobiles need consent. Our guide is buying an email list legal? covers both.

What a good new-carrier list contains

Our trucking company email list has one row per carrier with these fields, and each email is labelled with where we found it. You can order it nationwide or by state.

What this guide can't tell you

• Whether a new carrier has started hauling. A grant shows a registration, not trucks on the road or customers.
• When a carrier's insurance renews. Insurance filings show coverage on file, not a renewal date you can rely on.
• How long the Motus migration will take, or how FMCSA will change docket numbers. Check FMCSA's registration pages for the current rules.

This is general information, not legal advice.