USDOT Number vs. MC Number: What New Carriers Need to Know

If you are starting a trucking business, the first two numbers you will hear about are the USDOT number and the MC number. They sound alike, but they do different jobs, and many carriers need both.

The short answer

• A USDOT number identifies your company to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). It is how FMCSA tracks your safety record: inspections, crashes, audits and compliance reviews.
• An MC number is the docket number for your operating authority. Operating authority is permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines.

Think of the USDOT number as your company's ID, and operating authority as your permit to get paid for interstate hauling.

Who needs a USDOT number?

Generally, you need a USDOT number if you operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce and your vehicle:

• has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or gross combination weight of 10,001 pounds or more, or
• is designed to carry 9 or more passengers for pay (or 16 or more without pay), or
• carries hazardous materials in amounts that require placards.

Some states, including many that adopt the federal rules, also require a USDOT number for intrastate carriers. Check with your state before you assume you are exempt.

Who needs an MC number (operating authority)?

According to FMCSA, for-hire interstate motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders need operating authority in addition to a USDOT number. In plain terms, you need it if you:

• haul other people's freight across state lines for money, or
• arrange freight for others as a broker.

You usually do not need operating authority if you:

• haul only your own company's goods (a "private carrier"),
• haul only within one state (though your state may have its own permit), or
• drive as a leased owner-operator under another carrier's authority.

How much do they cost?

• FMCSA charges $300 for each type of operating authority you apply for. The fee is non-refundable.
• After FMCSA publishes your application, you have 90 days to get your insurance and BOC-3 (process agent designation) on file. If you miss the deadline, the application is dismissed and you lose the fee.

Watch out for private websites that look official and charge extra "service fees" to file for you. You can apply directly with FMCSA.

Getting a number does not mean you can operate

This catches many new carriers. FMCSA is clear that having an MC number assigned is not the same as having operating authority. You may not haul for-hire interstate freight until your authority is granted, published in the FMCSA Register, and shows ACTIVE in FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance system.

What is changing: Motus and the future of MC numbers

In 2026, FMCSA launched Motus, its new registration system. New carriers now sign in with a Login.gov account and apply for a USDOT number and operating authority together in one application. Existing carriers keep their current USDOT number and claim their company record in Motus, rather than applying for a new one.

You may have read that MC numbers have been eliminated. That is not accurate as of this writing. FMCSA has proposed making the USDOT number the only identifier for all registrants and phasing out MC numbers, but that change has been deferred to a later release and has no set date. Until FMCSA says otherwise, brokers, shippers and load boards will keep asking for your MC number.

Quick comparison

Next steps

If you are starting your own carrier, read our step-by-step guide to starting a trucking company in South Carolina. If you want to drive without the paperwork, leasing onto a carrier is often the easier way to start.

Sources

• FMCSA: How do I get operating authority (MC number)?
• FMCSA: Registration and Ask FMCSA
• Federal Register: Availability of Motus, FMCSA's New Registration System (April 29, 2026)