How to Check a Trucking Company’s Safety Record With FMCSA Tools
The free federal lookups drivers, shippers and brokers use before signing on or tendering a load, what each one shows, and the warning signs worth a second look.
You can check any interstate trucking company’s safety record for free with FMCSA’s public tools: the SAFER Company Snapshot for registration, inspections, crashes and safety rating; the Safety Measurement System (SMS) for violation details; and FMCSA’s licensing and insurance records for authority and insurance status. All three search by USDOT number, MC number or company name.
Drivers use these lookups before taking a job, shippers before tendering freight and brokers before booking a carrier. The checks below reflect the tools as of November 2026.
Which FMCSA tools show a carrier’s safety record?
| Tool | What it shows | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| SAFER Company Snapshot | Legal and DBA names, address, phone, operating status, power units and drivers, cargo types, 24-month inspection and crash totals, out-of-service rates next to national averages, safety rating | A quick first look |
| Safety Measurement System (SMS) | Each inspection and violation, crash records, violation categories over 24 months; percentiles for passenger carriers only | Seeing what kinds of problems a carrier has |
| Licensing and Insurance (L&I) records | Authority type and status, grant and revocation dates, insurance and bond filings on record, cancellation notices, BOC-3 process agent | Confirming the carrier can legally haul for hire and is insured |
FMCSA is moving registration records into its new Motus system, which launched for all registrants in May 2026 and is set to replace the old licensing and insurance system. FMCSA has said the public will be able to search registration records in Motus, so the authority lookup may appear there depending on when you check.
How do you check a trucking company step by step?
- Get the numbers. Ask for the USDOT number and, for a for-hire carrier, the MC number. Check that they match the name on the rate confirmation, the truck door or the job offer.
- Open the SAFER Company Snapshot. Confirm the operating status says authorized for the type of operation, and that the USDOT status is active, not inactive or out of service.
- Compare the address and phone. The snapshot shows what the carrier filed with FMCSA. A mismatch with the contact information you were given is a reason to call the number on file.
- Read the inspection lines. Look at vehicle and driver out-of-service rates against the national averages printed beside them, and at the number of inspections. A carrier with many trucks and almost no inspections has little history to judge.
- Check crashes and the safety rating. Note fatal and injury crashes over 24 months, and whether the carrier is rated Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory or not rated.
- Open SMS for detail. See which violations recur, such as hours of service, brakes or driver qualification.
- Check authority and insurance. In the licensing and insurance records, confirm the authority is active, liability insurance is on file and no cancellation is pending. Note when the authority was granted.
What do the numbers on the SAFER snapshot mean?
Operating status. Authorized for property, passengers or household goods means the carrier holds active authority for that kind of freight. Not authorized means it may haul only as a private or exempt carrier.
Out-of-service rates. The share of a carrier’s inspections that ended with the vehicle or driver taken off the road. A rate well above the national average points to maintenance or compliance problems. A small number of inspections can make one bad day look like a pattern, so read rates together with the count.
MCS-150 date and mileage. The last time the carrier updated its registration, which must happen at least every 24 months, and the miles it reported. An old date or zero miles on a carrier claiming a large fleet is worth asking about.
Safety rating. Only an FMCSA compliance review produces a rating. Most carriers are not rated, which by itself is not a warning sign. A Conditional rating means the carrier was found to have compliance gaps; Unsatisfactory means it is unfit and is ordered to stop operating unless it improves within the deadline.
Why are CSA percentiles missing for most trucking companies?
Federal law has kept property carriers’ SMS percentiles and alerts off the public website since the FAST Act of 2015. You can still see the inspections, violations and crashes behind them. Passenger carrier percentiles remain public. Our guide to CSA scores explains how the percentiles are calculated and who can see them.
What red flags should you look for?
- Authority that is inactive, revoked or pending, or an insurance cancellation on file.
- Contact details given to you that do not match the FMCSA record, or a record changed in the past few weeks.
- A brand-new authority offering loads or jobs well above market, or asking for payment up front.
- Out-of-service rates far above the national averages across many inspections.
- A Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating, or a USDOT status of out of service.
- A carrier whose name, address or officers match a company that recently shut down, which can indicate a reincarnated or chameleon carrier.
- Recurring violations for false logs, no medical certificate or drivers without a valid CDL.
Fraud often uses a real carrier’s identity, so the check is only as good as the contact you verify. Call or email the contact on file with FMCSA, not one given in the load posting. Brokers have their own authority and bond to check; see our guide on how to check a freight broker.
What should drivers check before joining a carrier?
A driver deciding on a job can use the same lookups with a different focus. Hours of service and driver fitness violations show how the company runs its dispatch and hiring. Vehicle out-of-service rates show the condition of the equipment you will drive. How long the company has held its authority tells you how much history the numbers rest on. If a carrier closes with your final pay or escrow outstanding, the steps are in our guide on what to do when a trucking company shuts down.
Bottom line
The SAFER snapshot answers whether a carrier may legally haul your load; SMS and the inspection history answer how it runs. Read the insurance line every time: a carrier can still show active authority while a cancellation notice from its insurer is pending. Run the lookup at first contact and again on the day of the load or the start date.
FAQ
Is FMCSA carrier data free to search?
Yes. SAFER, SMS and the authority and insurance records are free public lookups with no account needed. Carriers log in only to see their own percentiles.
Does a carrier with no safety rating mean it is unsafe?
No. Most carriers have never had a compliance review, so they are not rated. Judge them by inspection and crash history instead.
How current is the information?
Registration and authority records update as filings are processed. SMS results update monthly, and inspections can take a few weeks to appear after states report them.
Can I see complaints about a carrier?
FMCSA takes complaints through its National Consumer Complaint Database, but individual complaints are not posted on the public carrier lookups.
