# FMCSA Carrier Lookup by USDOT/MC: Authority, Safety, Contacts (`plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup`) Actor

Look up trucking companies by USDOT or MC number, or search new and existing carriers by state, name and fleet size. Get authority status, out-of-service, safety rating, inspections, crashes, trucks, drivers, phone and email from official FMCSA data. Optional change alerts. No API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [Daniel Witney](https://apify.com/plym-actor-factory) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 carrier record returneds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## FMCSA Carrier Lookup & Search: Authority, Safety, Contacts by USDOT/MC

Look up US trucking companies and brokers by USDOT or MC number, or search carriers by name, state, fleet size or registration date. Every run returns the **current FMCSA record for every carrier**: operating authority, out-of-service status, safety rating, US inspection out-of-service rates, 24-month crashes, fleet size, drivers, cargo types, phone and email.

No API key or FMCSA web key needed. Data comes from the official FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov) and the public SAFER Company Snapshot.

### Who uses it

- **Freight brokers and shippers:** vet carriers before tendering a load (authority, out-of-service, safety record).
- **Truck insurance, factoring, ELD and fuel-card sales teams:** lists of new or small carriers by state, with phone and email.
- **Compliance teams:** check a carrier list in bulk instead of one SAFER page at a time.

### What you get on the first run

Press **Start** with the prefilled example and you get:

| USDOT | Carrier | Status | Authority | Out of service | Rating | Trucks | Drivers | Vehicle OOS % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53467 | WERNER ENTERPRISES INC | ACTIVE | Authorized: property carrier, broker | – | SATISFACTORY | 9,863 | 9,107 | 20% |
| 80806 | J B HUNT TRANSPORT INC | ACTIVE | Authorized: property + household goods | – | SATISFACTORY | 25,280 | 24,116 | 22.2% |
| 2213110 | DELAMAE ANDERSON (J D ANDERSON BROKERAGE) | ACTIVE | **NOT AUTHORIZED** | – | – | 0 | – | 0% |

Each row also includes MC/MX/FF numbers, DBA name, interstate/intrastate operation, entity type, hazmat flag, cargo types, annual miles, phone, cell phone, email, company officers, physical and mailing address, MCS-150 date, added date, inspections by type, crashes (fatal/injury/tow), flags such as `NOT_AUTHORIZED`, `OUT_OF_SERVICE` or `REGISTRATION_OUTDATED`, and a SAFER link.

### How to use it

1. **Look up a list:** paste USDOT numbers and/or MC numbers (any amount; unknown numbers are flagged and not charged).
2. **Or search:** state(s), name, "registered on or after", minimum/maximum trucks, hazmat only. Example: state `TX`, registered since `2026-09-01`, at least 1 truck lists brand-new Texas carriers with contact details.
3. Download as Excel, CSV or JSON, or use the Apify API. Untick **Include authority, out-of-service, inspections and crashes** for very large contact-only exports (much faster).

### Optional: change alerts

Tick **Track changes between runs** and schedule the Actor daily. Each row says `NEW`, `CHANGED` (with old values: authority revoked, out-of-service, status, safety rating, phone/email, address) or `UNCHANGED`. Tick **Only output new or changed carriers** for alerts only; with a "registered since" search this becomes a daily new-carrier feed. The first run always returns the full list.

### Pricing

- **$0.003 per carrier record** (safety and authority details included), plus a tiny start fee per run.
- **$0.02 per change alert** (change-tracking runs only).
- Unknown numbers are listed but **never charged**.

**Cost examples:** vetting 1,000 carriers ≈ **$3**. A daily check of your 200 approved carriers with "only changes" costs cents per month unless something changes.

### FAQ

**Official data?** Yes: FMCSA's public census file and SAFER snapshot. Contact details are what carriers file with FMCSA; follow TCPA/CAN-SPAM rules when you contact them.
**Insurance details?** Not included yet; the SAFER link leads to the FMCSA licensing and insurance page.

# Actor input Schema

## `usdotNumbers` (type: `array`):

Any number of USDOT numbers. Unknown numbers are reported and not charged. If you leave this, MC numbers and the search empty, the run uses the 3 examples.

## `mcNumbers` (type: `array`):

Docket numbers, e.g. MC-138328 or 138328.

## `searchName` (type: `string`):

Matches legal name or DBA name.

## `states` (type: `array`):

Two-letter state codes of the carrier's physical address, e.g. TX, CA.

## `addedSince` (type: `string`):

New carriers only, newest first. Good for insurance, factoring, ELD and dispatch lead lists.

## `minPowerUnits` (type: `integer`):

Only carriers with at least this many power units (trucks/tractors).

## `maxPowerUnits` (type: `integer`):

Only carriers with at most this many power units, e.g. 5 for small fleets.

## `hazmatOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Only carriers registered to haul hazardous materials.

## `activeOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Applies to searches. ID lookups always return the record, active or not.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Cap on rows returned by the search.

## `includeSafety` (type: `boolean`):

Adds data from the official SAFER Company Snapshot for each carrier (about 1 second per carrier). Turn off for very large, contact-only exports.

## `trackChanges` (type: `boolean`):

Schedule this Actor and each row will say whether the carrier is NEW, CHANGED (with the old values: authority revoked, out-of-service, status, rating, contact details...) or UNCHANGED since the last run of the same list/search. The first run returns the full list.

## `onlyChanges` (type: `boolean`):

With change tracking on, later runs only output new or changed carriers. Quiet runs cost only the start fee.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Name your carrier list (e.g. "approved-carriers") to keep its change history when you edit it.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "usdotNumbers": [
    "53467",
    "80806",
    "2213110"
  ],
  "hazmatOnly": false,
  "activeOnly": true,
  "maxResults": 100,
  "includeSafety": true,
  "trackChanges": false,
  "onlyChanges": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One current FMCSA record per USDOT/MC number or search hit (authority, out-of-service, safety, inspections, crashes, fleet, contacts).

## `summary` (type: `string`):

JSON summary: records found, not found, rows output, events charged, change-tracking mode, warnings.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "usdotNumbers": [
        "53467",
        "80806",
        "2213110"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "usdotNumbers": [
        "53467",
        "80806",
        "2213110",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "usdotNumbers": [
    "53467",
    "80806",
    "2213110"
  ]
}' |
apify call plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,plym-actor-factory/fmcsa-carrier-lookup"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/pvbgu9NCqwsaMNtzX/builds/axcLRtin2c5VW3fvD/openapi.json