Reading FMCSA Authority Revocations and Insurance Lapses

Why this matters. A broker looks at your authority and insurance record before it tenders a load, and you should look at a broker's or a subcontractor's before you accept one. A lapsed filing can stop loads without warning, and fixing it takes days, not minutes. The open FMCSA files show how often these events happen. They also show how easy it is to read too much into a count.

Revocations: a record event, not a verdict

In the 12 months to April 2026, 78,364 revocation orders took effect in the FMCSA register, 6% fewer than in the 12 months before. Of 303,646 active common-carrier authority records, 12,272 (4.0%) show a revocation pending. A further 672,785 records were granted once and are no longer active.

A revocation says that an order exists against an authority record. It does not say why, and the open files do not give the reason. A company may resolve it, surrender the authority or stop operating, and the counts cannot tell which.

Source: FMCSA Revocation file, data.transportation.gov, retrieved Oct 9, 2026, via our authority revocations page. Orders with no type recorded appear only in the all-orders column. One carrier can appear in more than one year.

From 2023 to 2025 the yearly total fell from 101,592 to 80,303, about 21% (our arithmetic). That is a trend in orders, not proof that carriers are healthier. The page also warns that a drop at the very end of any chart is the file ending, not revocations stopping.

Insurance filings: where lapses start

Insurers file proof of liability cover with FMCSA, and an insurer can cancel that filing. If a cancellation takes effect and no replacement arrives in time, the authority can be revoked. So a cancellation date on a filing is a notice, not yet a lapse: the insured may already have a replacement, which shows as a separate filing.

On the register, 20,983 of 398,114 liability filings (BMC-91 and 91X) carry a cancellation date, 5.3%. Separately, 1,753 active common-carrier authority records (0.58%) require liability cover and show none on file.

Source: FMCSA ActPendInsur, Insur and Carrier files, retrieved Oct 9, 2026, via our insurance lapses page. Filings still active on the register only, so older months look thinner and month-to-month movement is not a trend.

The most common required minimum on active common-carrier records is $750,000 (263,398 of 328,575 records). For general freight, the federal minimum is $750,000 under 49 CFR 387.9 for for-hire carriers of non-hazardous property in vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more in interstate commerce. Your rate con or broker agreement may ask for more.

What these numbers cannot tell you

• They do not say any one carrier is risky. A record event is not a score.
• They do not prove a policy is in force or has ended. They show what an insurer filed.
• They are a snapshot of files that stop in May 2026, not a live feed.
• They count orders and records, not companies.

A monthly check for your own record

1. Read your record. Look up your USDOT or MC number on FMCSA SAFER and the Licensing and Insurance site. Save a dated PDF.
2. Compare it to the policy. Insurer name, policy number and dates on the record must match the documents your agent sent.
3. Look for a cancellation date. A date in the future means a notice has been filed. Call the insurer the same day.
4. Check the process agent (BOC-3) and the address. A missing filing can lead to a notice, so check each one, not only insurance.
5. Calendar the renewal. Set reminders at 60 and 30 days before renewal and ask the agent to confirm the new filing was submitted.

If a notice arrives, act the same day: contact your insurer or agent, then the FMCSA licensing office, and write down who you spoke to and when. FMCSA decides reinstatement requirements, so read them on the FMCSA site for your case.

Out-of-service orders are a different thing

FMCSA also issues out-of-service orders against carriers, which is a different action from an authority revocation. The file on our revocations page holds 401,862 orders, of which 91,976 have status active and 309,882 inactive. The six most common reasons in the file use FMCSA's own wording, and the most frequent are new entrant revocations. Counts are orders by year, not distinct carriers, so one company can appear more than once.

Before you book with someone else

For a broker, add the bond check from broker vetting. For a subcontracted carrier, check authority and insurance dates the same way. The USDOT lookup helps you read a record's fields, and the authority and insurance check guide has the full routine. The detailed counts, including revocations by month and out-of-service orders by reason, are on the authority revocations and insurance lapses pages.

If you would like a second look at which of your own brokers show up with odd paperwork, send us your last 20 loads for a free audit.