FMCSA Motor Vehicle Crash Reports Scraper

Overview

This actor extracts detailed motor vehicle crash reports from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) public database, containing 4.9+ million crash records. Access comprehensive crash data including fatalities, injuries, carrier information, and incident details.

The actor uses the official Socrata API endpoint (data.transportation.gov) — the same data source used by the FMCSA itself. No authentication required. Data is updated regularly by the Department of Transportation.

Key Features

• 4.9+ Million Records: Complete historical crash database from FMCSA
• Flexible Filtering: Filter by state, DOT number, carrier name, date range, or vehicle type
• Detailed Carrier Info: Crash carrier name, address, DOT number, interstate operations
• Casualty Data: Fatalities and injuries for each crash
• Vehicle Details: Truck/bus indicator, cargo body type, vehicle configuration
• Status Tracking: Final status code and recordability indicators
• No Authentication: Public data from federal open data portal
• Reliable API: Socrata SoQL endpoint with rate limiting protection

Data Fields

Field	Type	Description
crashId	string	Unique crash identifier
reportNumber	string	FMCSA report number
reportDate	string	Date crash was reported (YYYY-MM-DD)
reportTime	string	Time crash was reported
reportState	string	State where crash occurred
city	string	City/locality of crash
location	string	Geographic location coordinates
dotNumber	string	Federal motor carrier identification number
carrierName	string	Name of carrier involved
carrierStreet	string	Carrier street address
carrierCity	string	Carrier city
carrierState	string	Carrier state
carrierZip	string	Carrier ZIP code
carrierInterstate	string	Interstate operations indicator
truckBusIndicator	string	Vehicle type: T (truck) or B (bus)
cargoBodyType	string	Type of cargo body
vehicleConfiguration	string	Vehicle configuration ID
fatalities	number	Total fatalities in crash
injuries	number	Total injuries in crash
towAway	string	Tow away indicator
federalRecordable	string	Federal recordability status
stateRecordable	string	State recordability status
statusCode	string	Current status code
finalStatusDate	string	Final status date

How to Use

Basic Search (All Records)

Run the actor with minimal input to retrieve recent crashes:

{
  "maxResults": 100
}

This returns the 100 most recent crash reports in descending date order.

Filter by State

Search for crashes in a specific state (e.g., Texas):

{
  "state": "TX",
  "maxResults": 500
}

Filter by Carrier (DOT Number)

Search for all crashes involving a specific carrier:

{
  "dotNumber": "123456",
  "maxResults": 100
}

Filter by Carrier Name

Search for crashes by carrier name (partial match supported):

{
  "carrierName": "Swift Transportation",
  "maxResults": 200
}

Filter by Date Range

Search for crashes within a specific date range:

{
  "startDate": "2023-01-01",
  "endDate": "2023-12-31",
  "maxResults": 1000
}

Filter by Vehicle Type

Search for truck crashes only:

{
  "truckOrBus": "T",
  "maxResults": 500
}

Or bus crashes:

{
  "truckOrBus": "B",
  "maxResults": 500
}

Combined Filters

Search for high-severity crashes in a specific state and date range:

{
  "state": "CA",
  "startDate": "2023-01-01",
  "endDate": "2024-12-31",
  "truckOrBus": "T",
  "maxResults": 2000
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Default	Required
state	string	Two-letter state abbreviation (e.g., 'TX', 'CA', 'VA')	(empty)	No
dotNumber	string	Federal motor carrier ID number	(empty)	No
carrierName	string	Carrier name (partial match via LIKE)	(empty)	No
startDate	string	Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format	(empty)	No
endDate	string	End date in YYYY-MM-DD format	(empty)	No
truckOrBus	string	Vehicle type: 'T' (truck), 'B' (bus), or '' (both)	(empty)	No
maxResults	integer	Maximum number of records to return (1–200,000)	100	No

Output Format

The actor outputs a JSON dataset where each record represents one crash:

{
  "crashId": "20240315001",
  "reportNumber": "NA",
  "reportDate": "2024-03-15",
  "reportTime": "14:30",
  "reportState": "TX",
  "city": "Houston",
  "location": "29.7589, -95.3677",
  "dotNumber": "123456",
  "carrierName": "Example Trucking Inc.",
  "carrierStreet": "100 Main St",
  "carrierCity": "Houston",
  "carrierState": "TX",
  "carrierZip": "77002",
  "carrierInterstate": "Yes",
  "truckBusIndicator": "T",
  "cargoBodyType": "Dry van",
  "vehicleConfiguration": "Tractor-trailer",
  "fatalities": 0,
  "injuries": 2,
  "towAway": "Yes",
  "federalRecordable": "Yes",
  "stateRecordable": "Yes",
  "statusCode": "Closed",
  "finalStatusDate": "2024-04-01"
}

Pricing

Metric	Cost
Per Result	$0.004
Actor Start	$0.00005
Compute	~$0.005–0.010 per run (varies by result volume)

Typical Usage:

• 100 results ≈ $0.40 (per-result cost) + compute
• 1,000 results ≈ $4.00 + compute
• 10,000 results ≈ $40.00 + compute

Data Source & Legal

This actor retrieves data from the official FMCSA public database hosted on data.transportation.gov — a federal open data portal maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Important Notes:

• Public Data: All data is publicly accessible and non-personal
• No Authentication: Uses public API endpoints; no login required
• Regulatory Data: Crash data is maintained as part of federal safety oversight and is freely available
• Usage Rights: Public domain data; use subject to FMCSA terms
• Data Freshness: Updated regularly by FMCSA as new crash reports are filed

Legal Disclaimer: This actor extracts only publicly available, non-personal data from federal sources. Users are responsible for complying with applicable laws, regulations, and the FMCSA's terms of service. Do not use this data for purposes that violate privacy, safety, or regulatory requirements. The actor operator assumes no liability for misuse of extracted data.

FAQ

How fresh is the data?

FMCSA updates the crash database regularly as new reports are filed. Most crashes are reported within 30 days, though some may take longer. Use the startDate and endDate filters to retrieve the most recent data.

Can I download all 4.9 million records?

Yes, but it would be expensive. The Socrata API paginates in chunks of 1,000 records. For very large exports, consider:

• Running multiple targeted queries (by state, date range, carrier)
• Using the maxResults parameter to batch your requests
• Contacting FMCSA directly for bulk data exports

What's the difference between "federal recordable" and "state recordable"?

• Federal Recordable: Meets FMCSA crash reporting criteria (serious injuries, fatalities, or hazmat releases)
• State Recordable: Meets individual state reporting requirements, which vary by state

Can I scrape by accident severity (fatalities/injuries)?

Not directly via filter, but you can use maxResults with high values and filter the results client-side. Alternatively, request a feature extension.

How often can I run this actor?

There's no strict rate limit on FMCSA data, but the Socrata API has standard rate limiting (~100 req/min). The actor includes backoff and retry logic to handle rate limits gracefully.

What if my search returns 0 results?

This typically means:

• No crashes match your filter criteria
• The date range is too restrictive
• The DOT number or carrier name doesn't exist in the database
• The state abbreviation is incorrect (use two-letter codes: TX, CA, NY, etc.)

Try widening your filters or removing the most restrictive parameter.

Related Actors

• FRA Railroad Accidents Scraper — Extract Federal Railroad Administration accident reports
• NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Scraper — Extract vehicle safety complaints from NHTSA
• DOT Violations Scraper — Scrape DOT safety inspection violations

Support & Contact

For issues, feature requests, or technical support:

• Email: seatsignal@example.com
• GitHub: Apify Scraper Factory
• Apify Forum: Post in the Marketplace Actors category

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Built with: Node.js, Apify SDK, Socrata SoQL API Data Source: U.S. Department of Transportation (data.transportation.gov) Last Updated: 2026-04-07 License: ISC