How federal registration works

Layer one: the USDOT number

A company that operates commercial vehicles hauling cargo in interstate commerce must register with FMCSA and receive a USDOT number, the identifier under which the agency files its safety information (FMCSA, Do I Need a USDOT Number?). The Company Census File on the Department of Transportation’s open-data portal is the public copy of that registration record, updated daily, and it is what Mover Check queries.

The record is only as current as the company keeps it. Carriers change their details by filing an MCS-150 series form, and FMCSA requires every entity it regulates to update its information every two years (FMCSA, Updating Your Registration or Authority), so an old address or vehicle count on a record is a sign of a stale filing, not necessarily of a closed business.

Layer two: operating authority

Carrying goods that belong to someone else for pay across state lines, or arranging that transport, requires operating authority in addition to the USDOT number. Authority is identified by an MC, FF or MX docket number, a company may need more than one, and the type granted dictates what operation it may run and what it may carry, as well as the insurance it must maintain. Private carriers moving their own goods and carriers working only inside a designated commercial zone do not need it (FMCSA, Get Operating Authority).

The MOTUS authority history lists each authority a company holds with its type, status and status date. That is where the difference between a household-goods carrier and a broker shows, and where an authority that was revoked or never granted shows as such.

Layer three: the safety rating

A safety rating is the outcome of an FMCSA compliance review under 49 CFR Part 385 and exists only for companies that have had one. Most registered companies carry no rating at all, which is the absence of a review rather than a grade. What each code means is set out in the guide on safety ratings.

What each layer proves

A census record proves that a company registered. Household-goods motor-carrier authority proves it may carry your goods under its own authority; broker authority proves only that it may arrange for a carrier. A rating, when there is one, records what an FMCSA review found on a date. None of the three is an endorsement, and none replaces confirming the current status with FMCSA before you pay a deposit.

Where YardPermit stops

Mover Check shows the census fields and the MOTUS authorities as FMCSA publishes them and links to FMCSA for the current record. It does not compute a score from them, and it cannot change them: corrections to a record go to FMCSA through the company’s own filing.

Sources

• Do I Need a USDOT Number?

  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · checked Sep 12, 2026

  Used for: Who must register, what the number identifies, the vehicle and interstate-commerce thresholds, and state requirements.

• Get Operating Authority (Docket Number)

  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · checked Sep 12, 2026

  Used for: When operating authority is required in addition to a USDOT number, the MC, FF and MX docket types, and who does not need authority.

• Updating Your Registration or Authority

  Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · checked Sep 12, 2026

  Used for: Records are changed by filing an MCS-150 series form and must be updated every two years.

• Company Census File

  U.S. Department of Transportation open data (FMCSA) · checked Sep 12, 2026

  Used for: The registration records Mover Check queries.

• Motus AuthHist - All With History

  U.S. Department of Transportation open data (FMCSA) · checked Sep 12, 2026

  Used for: Each operating authority a company holds, with its type, status and status date.