How to check a mover's USDOT and MC number
A five-minute check on FMCSA's own systems that weeds out most moving scams before you pay a deposit.
Every company that moves household goods across state lines for pay must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Registration leaves a public trail — a USDOT number, an MC docket number, insurance filings and a safety record — and you can check all of it for free in a few minutes. This guide walks through what to look up and what the results mean.
Step 1: Get the numbers from the mover, in writing
Federal rules require an interstate household-goods mover to put its name and its USDOT number in every advertisement, in the form “U.S. DOT No. number” (49 CFR 375.207). Look for it on the website footer, the written estimate and the truck. If a company won't give you a USDOT number, or gives you one that belongs to a different name, stop there.
Ask for the MC number too. The MC number is the docket for the company's operating authority — its federal permission to carry other people's goods for hire. The USDOT number identifies the company; the MC number is its licence to do the job.
Step 2: Look the company up on SAFER
Go to FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot and search by USDOT number, MC number or name. Check that:
- The legal name or DBA matches the company on your estimate.
- Entity type says Carrier. If it says Broker only, the company does not move anything itself — it arranges a move with someone else.
- Operating status is Authorized for Property (or Authorized for HHG), not Not Authorized or Out of Service.
- Cargo carried includes Household Goods.
- Power units and drivers look plausible for the job. A company quoting a four-bedroom cross-country move with one truck and one driver may be subcontracting.
Every listing on this site links straight to the SAFER snapshot for its USDOT number.
Step 3: Check authority and insurance history
SAFER's snapshot links to FMCSA's Licensing & Insurance system, which shows whether authority is active, when it was granted, and whether liability and cargo insurance are on file. Watch for authority that was granted only weeks ago, or authority that has been revoked and reinstated repeatedly. A brand-new registration is not proof of fraud — every company starts somewhere — but combined with a very low price and pressure to pay now, it is a warning sign.
Step 4: Read the safety record in context
SAFER shows a safety rating only if FMCSA has done an on-site compliance review. Most carriers have never had one, so “None” or “Not rated” is normal. Satisfactory means the review found adequate safety controls. Conditional means FMCSA found problems that had not risen to an unsatisfactory level on the date of the review. Unsatisfactory generally leads to an out-of-service order. Always note the date: a rating from fifteen years ago says little about the company today.
The snapshot also shows roadside inspections and the share that ended in an out-of-service order over the last 24 months, alongside national averages. A handful of inspections is too few to draw conclusions from.
Step 5: Check complaints
FMCSA collects consumer complaints about movers through its National Consumer Complaint Database (1-888-368-7238). FMCSA's Protect Your Move pages explain how to use it. Search the company name on your state attorney general's site and the Better Business Bureau as well; a pattern of the same complaint (surprise charges at delivery, goods held until you pay more) matters more than any single bad review.
Intrastate moves are different
If your move starts and ends in the same state, federal authority may not apply. Many states license intrastate movers through a public-utility commission or transportation department. A mover can be perfectly legitimate for a local move without an MC number — check your state's regulator instead.
What our “Active FMCSA authority” badge means
We mark a company Active FMCSA authority when, in the FMCSA census on the date shown, its USDOT registration is active, it is classed as authorized for hire, it lists household goods as cargo, and it holds an MC docket marked active. That is a snapshot. Authority can be revoked any day, so do a fresh SAFER check the week you sign.