FMCSA · Operating Authority & Insurance

Is this carrier cleared to haul — and actually insured?

Three separate things have to be true before it's safe to book a carrier: an active USDOT number, valid operating authority, and insurance on file. They live in different places and a carrier can pass one while failing another. This guide shows how to read all three — and the lapse that costs brokers the most.

The three checks

USDOT numberActive

Operating authorityAuthorized

Insurance on filePending

Minimum coverage on file

General freight$750K

Certain hazmat$1M

Broker bond / trust$75K

Illustrative — no real carrier on this page.

Read this first

An active USDOT number does not mean a carrier is authorized, and authority does not mean they're insured right now. Check all three. The trap that costs the most: insurance that's on file today but has a cancellation filed — covered now, lapsing soon.

Three checks: USDOT · Authority · InsuranceMinimums set by 49 CFR 387Filed by the insurer, not the carrierAll public on FMCSA

The three checks

"Active" on one line tells you almost nothing on its own. Legally booking a carrier means three separate things are all true at once.

USDOT, authority, insurance — read together

A carrier can have a live USDOT number and no authority. It can have authority and no current insurance. Each is a different record in a different system, and the gaps between them are exactly where loads go wrong. Here's how the three read together on one illustrative carrier.

The three checks · illustrative

RIVERLINE CARRIERS LLC

A made-up carrier, shown to demonstrate how the three checks line up.

USDOT 2233445 · MC-665544Checked 06/2026

Check 1 — USDOT number

StatusActiveACTIVE

The basic federal ID — every carrier has one. "Active" means the safety record is live; it does not mean authorized or insured.

Check 2 — Operating authority

StatusAuthorized — Property (except household goods)AUTHORIZED

Legal permission to haul for hire. "Not Authorized" means they can't legally take your load — even with an active USDOT.

Check 3 — Insurance on file

Liability (BIPD)$1,000,000 on file — cancellation filed, effective in 18 daysPENDING CANCEL

The trap. Coverage is on file today, but the insurer filed a cancellation notice. It lapses soon — treat pending cancellation as a stop, not a go.

Bottom line

Book it?Two of three are green — but insurance is lapsing. Not yet.HOLD

GREEN in placeFLAG lapsing or missing

Authority

Operating authority is FMCSA's permission to run for hire — and it comes in types that decide what a carrier or broker is actually allowed to do.

The authority types

Type	What they're allowed to do	Number
Motor Carrier of Property (except HHG)	Haul regulated freight for hire	MC
Motor Carrier of Household Goods	Move household goods for hire (extra consumer rules)	MC
Broker	Arrange transport for others — never takes possession of the freight	MC
Freight Forwarder	Consolidates shipments and assumes responsibility for the freight	FF
Passenger Carrier	Carry passengers for hire	MC

A broker that quietly hauls freight itself — or a carrier brokering loads it isn't authorized to broker — is operating outside its authority. The type matters.

USDOT vs. MC vs. FF

The USDOT number is the carrier's permanent safety ID — everyone has one. The MC number is the operating-authority docket for for-hire carriers and brokers; FF is the freight-forwarder version. A private or intrastate carrier may have a USDOT number and no MC at all — that's normal, not a red flag.

One more requirement: process agents (BOC-3)

To hold interstate authority, an entity must also keep a BOC-3 on file — a designation of a legal-process agent in every state. It's easy to overlook, but a lapsed BOC-3 is grounds for revocation, same as lapsed insurance.

The system changed — what's true today

FMCSA's new registration and insurance system, Motus, went live for everyone in May 2026, replacing the old URS and Licensing & Insurance portals — so filings now happen in Motus. What didn't change: MC numbers are still issued and valid, and the insurance forms and BOC-3 rules are the same. A move to a single USDOT number in place of MC numbers is signaled but still only proposed.

Insurance

FMCSA won't grant authority until minimum coverage is on file — and won't let a carrier keep it if that coverage lapses. Here's what "on file" actually means.

Minimum coverage on file

Who	Minimum on file	Filed as
Property carrier · general freight (≥ 10,001 lbs)	$750,000	BMC-91 / 91X
Small vehicle (< 10,001 lbs) · certain hazmat / oil	$300,000	BMC-91 / 91X
Certain hazardous materials	$1,000,000	BMC-91 / 91X
Explosives · poison gas · radioactive	$5,000,000	BMC-91 / 91X
Household goods carrier	$750,000 + cargo $5K/veh · $10K/occ	BMC-91 + BMC-34
Passenger carrier (≤ 15 / 16+)	$1.5M / $5M	BMC-91 / 91X
Broker or freight forwarder	$75,000 bond or trust	BMC-84 / 85

These are the federal floors (49 CFR 387); general light freight under 10,001 lbs largely falls outside them. Cargo insurance is not federally required for general property carriers — though many brokers require it by contract, above the floor.

Who files it — and why that matters

The carrier doesn't file its own proof; its insurer files the form directly with FMCSA (a BMC-91 for liability), plus an MCS-90 endorsement on the policy. So what you're reading on FMCSA is what a licensed insurer certified — not what the carrier told you over the phone. That's the value of checking it at the source.

The one to watch: pending cancellation

An insurer can file a notice (a BMC-35) that coverage will cancel on a future date — often about 30 days out. Until then it still shows "on file," but it's a countdown: if the carrier doesn't replace coverage, the filing lapses and authority can be revoked. A carrier under pending cancellation is insured today and may not be when your load is on the road. Treat it as a stop.

New since January 2026 (brokers)

Under FMCSA's updated broker financial-responsibility rule, the surety must notify FMCSA when a broker's available security is drawn down — and if it drops below $75,000 and isn't replenished within 7 business days, FMCSA suspends the broker's authority.

Reading it

Six things that separate a carrier you can safely book from one that just looks ready on the surface.

All three, or none

Active USDOT, valid authority, and insurance on file must all be present. Missing any one means you can't legally — or safely — book the load. Two out of three isn't a pass.

Pending cancellation = stop

On file today, lapsing on a filed date. Don't book on a countdown — confirm the replacement filing posted, or wait until coverage is clean.

"Not Authorized" isn't always defunct

Private and intrastate carriers legitimately lack interstate for-hire authority. It's only a problem when an entity is holding itself out as a for-hire interstate carrier or broker.

Authority gets revoked — and reinstated

Lapsed insurance or BOC-3 triggers revocation; carriers often fix it and reinstate. Read current status, not just that something happened once.

The new-number trick

An operator shut down under one number can reappear under a fresh USDOT/MC. Matching name, address, phone, or officers across numbers is the tell — and it's exactly why FMCSA is consolidating to one USDOT.

"Insured" isn't "enough"

$750,000 is the federal floor, not a guarantee it covers your load. High-value freight often needs more than the minimum — brokers commonly require it by contract.

What it doesn't tell you

The filing shows coverage is on file and at what limit — not the dollar amount of any specific claim, the deductible, or whether the policy covers your exact commodity. Those are between you, the carrier, and the insurer.

Reference

Plain definitions for the authority and insurance terms you'll run into.

Glossary

USDOT number: A carrier's permanent federal safety ID. Every active carrier has exactly one.
Operating authority: FMCSA's permission to operate for hire. Tracked as "Authorized For…" or "Not Authorized."
MC number: The operating-authority docket for for-hire carriers and brokers. Being phased toward USDOT-only over time.
FF number: Operating authority for a freight forwarder.
BIPD insurance: Bodily Injury & Property Damage — the public-liability coverage carriers must keep on file.
Cargo insurance: Covers loss or damage to the freight. Federally required only for household-goods carriers; often required by contract elsewhere.
BMC-91 / 91X: The form an insurer files with FMCSA to prove a carrier's liability coverage.
BMC-84 / 85: A broker's or forwarder's $75,000 surety bond (84) or trust fund (85).
MCS-90: A federal endorsement guaranteeing the public is paid up to the minimum even if the policy itself wouldn't — a safety net, not proof the carrier's own coverage is broad.
BOC-3: Designation of a legal-process agent in every state — required to hold interstate authority.
Pending cancellation: An insurer's filed notice that coverage will end on a future date. Still "on file," but a countdown.
Revocation / reinstatement: FMCSA pulling authority for lapsed insurance or BOC-3 — and restoring it once the carrier fixes the lapse.
Motus: FMCSA's registration and insurance system, live for everyone since May 2026 — it replaced the old URS and L&I portals.

Related guides

About this guide

Current as of June 2026. Insurance minimums follow 49 CFR 387. FMCSA's Motus registration and insurance system went live in May 2026 (replacing URS and Licensing & Insurance); MC numbers remain valid, and a USDOT-only identifier is only proposed.

This guide is educational. It explains how to read FMCSA's public operating-authority and insurance records and does not modify any regulation, and it is not legal or financial advice. Coverage shown "on file" is a filing, not a guarantee for any specific load. No real carrier data appears on this page.