MC number
Glossary · Last reviewed: November 1, 2026 · By VetCarrier
An MC number is the docket number FMCSA assigns to a company that holds operating authority for interstate operations, the authority a for-hire carrier or a broker needs to work across state lines. It is not the same as a USDOT number, which identifies the company itself in FMCSA’s records.
Where MC numbers come from
Before January 1, 1996, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued MC numbers; since then FMCSA has issued them. The same field on a SAFER snapshot also holds MX numbers and freight forwarder (FF) docket numbers, so one company can show more than one. FMCSA registers for-hire motor carriers under 49 U.S.C. 13902, freight forwarders under 13903 and property brokers under 13904.
MC number vs USDOT number
The USDOT number is assigned when FMCSA processes a carrier’s identification report, and every company should have only one active one. The MC number belongs to the authority instead. Every interstate motor carrier, private ones included, files for a USDOT number, while operating authority is for for-hire carriers, brokers and forwarders, so a private fleet hauling its own goods can have a USDOT number and no MC number. FMCSA said in April 2026 that the USDOT number remains the unique identifier in its new Motus system, and that MC and FF numbers would not be eliminated in Motus’s Phase II release.
What it looks like in a carrier check
In a VetCarrier check the MC number is the input and is printed at the top of the result, next to the USDOT number FMCSA links to it. Example from the sample report: MC 135797, DOT 80806, J B Hunt Transport Inc, authority Active. A real MC number on a clean record does not prove that the caller works for that company; criminals copy real carriers’ numbers and paperwork.
Check an MC number (3 free checks, no signup)
Criminals copy real carrier records, so a clean check does not prove the caller is that carrier: always confirm their phone, email and address another way. A VetCarrier check is not a guarantee that a carrier is safe or legitimate.
This page is general information, not legal or insurance advice.