Guide
MC numbers, docket numbers, and how they differ from USDOT numbers
Last updated
People use "USDOT number" and "MC number" as though they were two names for the same thing. They aren't, and the difference is exactly the part that matters when you're checking a mover.
| USDOT number | MC / docket number | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An identifier for the company | A record of the company’s permission to transport regulated cargo for hire |
| Answers | “Who is this carrier?” | “Is this carrier allowed to be paid to move your household across state lines?” |
| Format | Digits only, e.g. 1492606 | Prefix plus digits, e.g. MC561474 |
| Can it lapse? | The number itself is permanent | Yes — authority can be revoked, surrendered, or left inactive |
The short version: a USDOT number tells you who. A docket number is attached to operating authority, and the status of that authority tells you whether they're currently allowed to do the job.
Why “MC number” and “docket number” mean the same thing
"Docket number" is the general term for the number attached to a grant of operating authority. The prefix reflects which historical docket series the authority was issued under — MC is much the most common, and FF (freight forwarder) and MX (Mexico-domiciled carrier) also appear. In everyday use "MC number" is what people say, and this site displays whatever docket number FMCSA has on file.
FMCSA has long planned to retire the docket-number series and identify carriers by USDOT number alone, under the Unified Registration System. That transition has been announced and deferred repeatedly over many years. In the meantime both numbers remain in active use, and plenty of legitimate carriers registered in different eras carry a different mix of them. Check the current position with FMCSA's registration pages rather than assuming.
What it means if a mover has no MC number on file
It is a fact to investigate, not a verdict — the possibilities look quite different from one another:
- They don’t need one. A carrier that only hauls exempt commodities, or operates purely within one state, may legitimately have no docket number. Neither describes an interstate household goods mover.
- The authority was never granted. An application can be pending, or can have failed. A company advertising interstate moves while its authority is still pending is advertising something it cannot yet legally do.
- It was revoked or surrendered. The number may still be visible on the record with a status showing it is no longer active. This is the case worth catching, and it is the single most common problem this site surfaces.
That last case is why we report authority status separately from the docket number itself, and why a docket number appearing on a record is not evidence that authority is active. FMCSA's SAFER snapshot has a line reading something like AUTHORIZED FOR: Motor Carrier of Household Goods — that names the class of authority on record and can still display for a carrier whose authority was revoked years ago. The Licensing & Insurance record is the field that carries current status. Our methodology page documents how we handle this, because reading it naively is one of the two traps that produce confident errors about a carrier.
Checking both numbers
- Get the USDOT number from the mover — where to find it.
- Look up the carrier by that number and read the operating authority status, not just the presence of a docket number.
- Confirm the authority covers household goods, not general freight. They are different grants.
- Check the insurance filings on record, which are tied to the authority and lapse with it.
The five-minute check puts these in order with everything else worth looking at.
Where this comes from
This page summarises federal rules in plain language. It is not legal advice, and the authoritative text is the regulation itself.
- FMCSA — Get operating authority (MC number) ↗ What a docket number is for and who needs one.
- FMCSA Licensing & Insurance (L&I) public search ↗ The authoritative record of authority status and insurance filings.
- FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot ↗ Carrier lookup by USDOT number, docket number or name.