Table of contents
- Where the record lives, and what it costs
- Operating status: the one that ends the conversation
- Entity type: who is actually moving the car
- Insurance on file: two different things with similar names
- Safety rating: three findings and a blank
- What else on the record is worth a glance
- One thing the record does not show, and you can ask for
- If the record reads badly
- FAQs
Quick answer
Look at four things. Operating status must say active, because an inactive or out-of-service company cannot legally take the job. Entity type tells you whether you are hiring a broker who will arrange it or a carrier who will drive it, which decides whose insurance covers your car. Insurance on file should show a carrier's liability coverage or a broker's $75,000 bond. And the safety rating, if there is one, means a specific thing: conditional and unsatisfactory are both defined findings, while unrated simply means nobody has looked.
Where the record lives, and what it costs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration keeps a public register of every company licensed to move freight or arrange its movement across state lines. Car shipping companies are in it. So is anyone pretending to be one, which is rather the point: the register is how you tell the difference.
It is free, it needs no account, and it answers one company at a time if you already have the number. Ask a company for its USDOT and MC numbers before you pay anything. A company that will not give them, or gives numbers that do not match the name on the record, has answered your question.
Look up a company
Operating status: the one that ends the conversation
This is the first field to read and the only one that is a hard stop on its own. It says whether the company currently holds authority to operate. Active means it does. Anything else means it does not, and no explanation makes that acceptable.
| What it says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Authority is in force today | Carry on to the next field |
| Inactive | Authority has lapsed, been revoked or was never granted | Do not book. Do not pay a deposit |
| Out of service | A regulator has ordered the company to stop | Do not book, and do not accept an explanation |
| Not found | No record matches that number | The number is wrong, or it is not theirs |
Active
- What it means
- Authority is in force today
- What to do
- Carry on to the next field
Inactive
- What it means
- Authority has lapsed, been revoked or was never granted
- What to do
- Do not book. Do not pay a deposit
Out of service
- What it means
- A regulator has ordered the company to stop
- What to do
- Do not book, and do not accept an explanation
Not found
- What it means
- No record matches that number
- What to do
- The number is wrong, or it is not theirs
Entity type: who is actually moving the car
The record says whether the company is registered as a carrier, a broker, or both. This is the field that surprises people most, because the great majority of companies advertising car shipping to consumers are brokers. They are licensed to arrange the job and sell it on to a trucking company, not to drive it.
Using a broker is normal and often sensible: they have relationships with carriers you will never find yourself. What matters is knowing which you are dealing with, because it decides whose insurance covers your car and who you pursue when there is a problem.
If it says broker
They arrange, someone else drives. Ask which carrier has been assigned and check that carrier's record too — it is a second lookup, and it is the one that matters on the day.
- Get the carrier's name and USDOT number before pickup
- The cargo insurance is the carrier's, not the broker's
- Check the name on the truck matches the paperwork
If it says carrier
They own the truck. One company, one record, one insurer. Ask for the cargo insurance certificate and check what it actually covers.
- Ask for the cargo certificate, not just a promise of coverage
- Confirm the deductible and who pays it
- Check the record is for the company on the contract
Insurance on file: two different things with similar names
A carrier and a broker both appear to have financial security on file, and the two protect entirely different people. This is the most common misunderstanding in car shipping, and it only becomes obvious when a claim is filed.
Read those two together. The carrier's filing is insurance against harm on the road. The broker's bond is financial security that protects carriers who do not get paid, and shippers in certain circumstances — it is not cover for a scratched door. If you book through a broker and your car arrives damaged, the claim goes to the carrier's cargo policy.
Safety rating: three findings and a blank
If the company has been rated, the rating is a defined finding rather than a grade someone assigned by impression. Most companies you look up will have no rating at all, and that is worth understanding before you read anything into it.
So: satisfactory is genuine reassurance. Conditional means a regulator found the controls inadequate in a way that could cause failures. Unsatisfactory means it already did. And an unrated company has simply never been through the process, which is common and is not itself a red flag — it is an absence of information, not a finding.
What else on the record is worth a glance
- The legal name and any DBA. If the company sells under a different name from the one on the record, that is normal — but it should be able to explain which is which without hesitating.
- The registered address. A company whose record shows a state it never mentions is worth a question, not an accusation.
- The date the record was last updated. A file nobody has touched in years belongs to a company that is not attending to its filings.
- The power units and driver counts on a carrier record. A carrier claiming a national fleet while the record shows two trucks is describing someone else's trucks.
None of those is a stop on its own. Taken together they tell you whether the company in front of you is the company on the record, which is the question the whole exercise exists to answer.
One thing the record does not show, and you can ask for
If you book through a broker, you have a right to see what they arranged on your behalf. It is not in the public register, and most people never ask.
That record names the carrier that actually took the job. If a broker is reluctant to say who is driving your car, this is the regulation that says you are entitled to know.
If the record reads badly
- Stop before you payA deposit paid to a company without active authority is the hardest kind to recover. Nothing about the booking is urgent enough to skip this.
- Check you have the right companyNames repeat across the industry and numbers get mistyped. Confirm the USDOT number against the name and address before you conclude anything.
- Ask them directlyA company with a lapsed filing and a good explanation will give it immediately. One that talks around the question has told you what you needed.
- Report it if it was a scamThe FMCSA takes consumer complaints, and a report helps the next person even when it does not recover your money.
Where to report
Frequently asked questions
What should I check on an FMCSA record before booking?
Four fields. Operating status must be active. Entity type tells you whether the company is a broker arranging the job or a carrier driving it. Insurance on file should show a carrier's liability coverage or a broker's $75,000 bond. And the safety rating, where one exists, is a defined finding rather than an opinion.
The company has no safety rating. Is that bad?
Not on its own. Most companies have never been rated, and an unrated record is an absence of information rather than a finding. What is worth noticing is a company describing itself as having a clean safety record when it holds no rating at all.
If I book through a broker, whose insurance covers my car?
The carrier's. A broker files a $75,000 bond or trust fund, which is financial security rather than cover for damage to your vehicle. Cargo coverage belongs to the company that physically moves the car, which is why it is worth asking who that is and checking their record too.
Car shipping insuranceWhat if the authority says inactive?
Do not book, and do not pay a deposit. Authority that is not in force means the company cannot legally take the job, and the insurance behind it may not be in force either. Companies do let filings lapse, but the risk of that sits with them rather than with your car.
Does it cost anything to check?
No. The FMCSA register is public and free, and needs no account. You need the company's USDOT or MC number, which any legitimate company will give you without being pressed.
What is the difference between a USDOT number and an MC number?
A USDOT number identifies the company in the federal system. An MC number is the operating authority that permits interstate for-hire work. Many companies have both, and either will find the record. What matters is that the numbers belong to the company you are actually dealing with.
Sources
- FMCSA company snapshot
- 49 CFR 371.2
- 49 CFR 387.9
- 49 CFR 387.307
- 49 CFR 385.3
- 49 CFR 371.3
- FMCSA: How to file a complaint
Written and reviewed by the Haulwide editorial team. Editorial policy
