Haulwide studyFMCSA records checked Oct 7, 2026
Why Freight-Broker Licenses Get Revoked: 110,130 FMCSA Authority Revocations
- Counted from the FMCSA's own dataset
- Data free to download
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Key findings
110,130
Broker authorities revoked
All-time, FMCSA register
89.3%
Pulled by the FMCSA
98,369 involuntary
10.7%
Handed back voluntarily
11,760 surrendered
1,418,255
Carrier authorities revoked
Common + contract carriers
Summary
A freight broker needs active authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to arrange shipments legally. Over the life of the register the FMCSA has revoked that authority 110,130 times. 89.3% of those revocations were involuntary — the FMCSA pulled the authority — and only 10.7% were surrendered by the broker. The counts are all freight brokers, not only car shipping, and a revoked authority is a record of an event, not a permanent mark: many are later reinstated.
What a broker license is, and what revocation means
A broker arranges transport and hands the job to a motor carrier; it does not own the truck. To do that legally it must hold FMCSA broker authority and post financial security, and revocation is the FMCSA removing that authority:
- Auto transport brokers need FMCSA broker authority and $75,000 in financial security, usually a BMC-84 surety bond or a BMC-85 trust fund. (49 CFR 387.307)
- Any broker or carrier's USDOT number, operating status and insurance on file can be looked up in the FMCSA database. (FMCSA company snapshot)
Once an authority is revoked, the broker no longer has the legal right to arrange shipments for pay. That is why the live status of a company's authority — not whether it was ever revoked in the past — is the thing worth checking before you book.
110,130 broker authorities have been revoked
The FMCSA's revocation dataset records 110,130 broker authority revocations in total. That is an all-time figure that has built up across decades, not a count of brokers that are revoked today, and it is far larger than the number of brokers operating at any one moment because the register turns over heavily.
The figure counts revocation events, not companies. A single company can appear more than once if its authority was revoked, reinstated and revoked again, and a revoked authority can be restored, so the number is not a tally of businesses that have shut for good.
Nearly nine in ten were pulled by the FMCSA
89.3% of the 110,130 revocations — 98,369 of them — were involuntary, meaning the FMCSA initiated them. The other 10.7% (11,760) were voluntary, surrendered by the broker itself.
Involuntary does not mean fraud. The dataset classifies each revocation as involuntary or voluntary but does not record the specific reason — an authority can be pulled for an administrative lapse, such as a required bond or an insurance filing expiring, rather than for any finding of wrongdoing. This study therefore does not attribute a reason to any named company.
What it means before you book car shipping
Because authority can be active one year and revoked the next, the useful check is the current status, not the history. Before you leave a deposit with a broker, look its USDOT or MC number up on the federal register and confirm the authority is active and the bond is on file.
A revoked authority in the record is not, on its own, a verdict on a company — but a company trying to broker your shipment while its authority is currently revoked is operating without the license the law requires, which is exactly what a quick lookup catches.
The carriers that move the cars churn even more
Brokers are the smaller part of the picture. The same dataset records 999,794 common-carrier and 418,461 contract-carrier authority revocations — 1,418,255 in all, more than ten times the broker figure.
Carriers are the companies whose trucks actually collect the vehicle, and the sheer turnover is a reminder that the company on the truck is often not the brand you booked with. The carrier's own insurance is what covers a car while it is loaded, so it is worth asking which carrier has been assigned and for its certificate.
The counts
Every figure on this page, from the FMCSA's revocation dataset. Last refreshed by the FMCSA on May 14, 2026.
Methodology and limits
Source. The counts come from the FMCSA's “Revocation – All With History” dataset on data.transportation.gov, grouped by authority type and revocation type in a single query run on Oct 7, 2026.
A dated edition, not a live feed. The FMCSA last refreshed this dataset on May 14, 2026 and has marked it as no longer updated, so the figures are an all-time record through roughly then. They are pinned to that edition; a later edition would be a new page. For a company's status today, use the live FMCSA snapshot.
All freight brokers, not only car shipping. The dataset records property-broker and motor-carrier authority and carries no cargo type, so car shipping brokers cannot be isolated from it. These figures describe the broker-licensing system as a whole, which is the backdrop car shipping is sold against, not a count of car shipping companies.
Events, not companies. Each row is a revocation event. A company can be revoked, reinstated and revoked again, and revoked authority can be restored, so the totals are not a tally of businesses that have permanently closed.
No reasons, no names. The dataset marks each revocation involuntary or voluntary but does not give a per-record reason, so this study reports the split only and does not attribute a cause to, or name, any company.
Cite this study
Haulwide. “Why Freight-Broker Licenses Get Revoked: 110,130 FMCSA Authority Revocations.” FMCSA revocation dataset, last refreshed May 14, 2026. https://www.haulwide.com/research/freight-broker-authority-revocations/
Check a company yourself
Look up any USDOT or MC number and see whether its authority is active right now.
Check a car shipping companyRelated reading
Broker vs. carrier explains why the license type decides who holds the cargo coverage and who handles a damage claim.
Frequently asked questions
Does a revoked broker license mean a company was a scam?
No. An involuntary revocation means the FMCSA pulled the authority — which can follow an administrative lapse, such as letting the required $75,000 bond or an insurance filing expire. It is not a finding of fraud, and a revoked authority can later be reinstated.
Check a companyIs this only about car shipping companies?
No. The dataset covers all U.S. property brokers and carries no cargo type, so car shipping brokers cannot be separated out. Treat these figures as the licensing backdrop car shipping is sold against, not a count of car shipping companies.
What is the difference between an involuntary and a voluntary revocation?
An involuntary revocation is one the FMCSA initiates, usually because the broker stopped meeting a requirement. A voluntary revocation is one the holder asks for, for example when it closes or no longer brokers loads. The dataset records which of the two each revocation was, but not the specific reason, so this study does not attribute a cause to any company.
Why is the number as large as 110,130?
It is an all-time count. Broker authority revocations accumulate across decades and the register churns heavily, so the figure is far larger than the number of brokers revoked in any one year and is not a snapshot of brokers that are revoked right now.
How do I check whether a company's authority is active today?
These figures are a frozen historical record. A company's live operating status is on the FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot, which the Haulwide verify tool looks up for you from a USDOT or MC number.
Check a car shipping companyCan I use this data?
Yes. Please credit Haulwide and link to this page, so readers can see the dataset the figures come from and the date it was last refreshed.
Know who you are booking with
Check a company's live FMCSA authority before you leave a deposit.