MC number
An MC number is the docket number FMCSA assigns when it grants operating authority, including broker authority and for-hire carrier authority.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
MC stands for motor carrier, but brokers have one too. It is the number on the authority. It is not a safety score, and it is not a substitute for insurance.
FMCSA's broker registration page describes the MC number as the docket assigned in the application, and it says a property broker then files a BMC-84 bond or a BMC-85 trust. A carrier's MC is the same kind of docket for for-hire authority.
You ask for it because it opens the public record: legal name, authority status, and the insurance filing that should sit behind it. An inactive MC stops the conversation. A number that belongs to a different legal name than the packet is a different conversation, and it happens before anyone talks rate.
It is not a USDOT number. The USDOT number identifies the company in FMCSA's registration. The MC identifies the operating authority. A for-hire carrier often has both. Quoting one when you meant the other sends the check to the wrong record.
FreightScout checks that the authority is active before Cover discusses a rate. The public lookup on this site is a census snapshot for large carriers. It is not a safety rating, and it is not this check. How FreightScout checks authority before booking.
Questions people actually ask
Does an MC number mean the carrier is safe to book today?
No. It means authority was granted. You still check that it is active today and that the insurance fits this load. FMCSA describes the broker side on its broker registration page.
Why do brokers and carriers both have an MC number?
Both are operating authority. A broker's MC is the broker docket. A carrier's MC is the for-hire docket. Neither one is the USDOT number.