# FMCSA Motor Carrier Data Scraper (`vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper`) Actor

Look up US trucking / motor carrier records (USDOT) by DOT number or name via the official FMCSA open-data API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Vincent Krüger](https://apify.com/vxc1104) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$5.00 / 1,000 results

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?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## FMCSA Motor Carrier Data Scraper

Look up **US trucking / motor carrier (USDOT)** records — legal name, operating status, fleet size, safety rating and address — by DOT number or carrier name, from the official FMCSA open-data API.

### What it does

Turn a list of DOT numbers or carrier names into clean, structured carrier profiles. Built for freight brokers, logistics tooling, carrier onboarding/vetting, and sales prospecting into the trucking industry.

### Example output

```json
{
  "dotNumber": "302257",
  "legalName": "SCHNEIDER NATL",
  "dbaName": null,
  "operatingStatus": "Inactive",
  "carrierOperation": "Interstate",
  "entityType": "CORPORATION",
  "powerUnits": 0,
  "totalDrivers": null,
  "hazmat": false,
  "safetyRating": null,
  "physicalAddress": "..., IL, ...",
  "state": "IL",
  "country": "US",
  "sourceUrl": "https://data.transportation.gov/resource/az4n-8mr2.json?dot_number=302257"
}
```

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `dotNumbers` | Exact USDOT numbers to fetch directly (fastest, exact). |
| `names` | Carrier legal names to search (substring match). |
| `state` | Optional 2-letter US state filter for name searches. |
| `maxItems` | Hard cap on results (cost protection). |

### Pricing

Pay per result. **1,000 carriers ≈ $5** (see the pricing tab for the current per-result rate). You are only charged for carriers actually returned — never for empty searches.

### Limits & notes

- Data comes from the **official FMCSA Company Census** dataset on data.transportation.gov (public US government open data).
- Name search is a substring match on the registered legal name; use the `state` filter to narrow.
- **Business-only output:** phone numbers and DUNS are intentionally omitted. Fields are carrier registration/operational data.

### Legal

Uses public US government open data (FMCSA, via data.transportation.gov). No robots.txt, paywall or login is bypassed. Motor-carrier registration data is published for public use; this actor returns business/registration fields only.

### Support

Issues answered within **12 hours**. Report a problem via the Issues tab and include your input and run ID.

# Actor input Schema

## `dotNumbers` (type: `array`):

Exact USDOT numbers to fetch directly (fastest, exact). For an AI agent: one number per array element, e.g. \["302257"].

## `names` (type: `array`):

Carrier legal names to search for (substring match on the official legal name). One per entry, e.g. \["Schneider"]. Combine with the state filter to narrow results.

## `state` (type: `string`):

Optional. Restrict name searches to a US state by 2-letter code, e.g. "IL", "TX".

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on the number of returned carriers. Protects you from unexpected cost.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "names": [
    "Schneider"
  ],
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

# 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 = {
    "names": [
        "Schneider"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper").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 = { "names": ["Schneider"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper").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 '{
  "names": [
    "Schneider"
  ]
}' |
apify call vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vxc1104/fmcsa-carrier-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

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/0vUTALfrVilH3hmfr/builds/JC0GoijXYGhHE7OFa/openapi.json