Free tool, official open data
Broker and carrier trust timeline
Enter a USDOT number. You get one dated timeline of what a copy of public FMCSA files holds on that carrier: authority grant, profile filing, active status and roadside out-of-service counts, each with its source and file date. It also lists what the copy does not hold (insurance, orders, revocation history, crashes), what to check next, and a tick list for your own checks. This is information, not advice and not a rating. The copy was built Oct 9, 2026.
Your own risk checklist
Tick what you have done yourself. The count is a reminder only. It is not a score and does not say whether to work with anyone. Nothing is sent or saved.
What is covered, honestly
- Covered. 307,785 USDOT numbers with census status active, 1 to 50 power units and an active common or contract property authority on the file date. Census file Oct 9, 2026, authority file Oct 8, 2026, inspection summary Sep 13, 2026.
- Not covered. Brokers, freight forwarders, private fleets, passenger carriers, carriers over 50 trucks, inactive carriers, and anything newer than the file dates. MC (docket) numbers are not searchable.
- Not per carrier. Insurance filings, out-of-service orders and revocation history were pulled as national counts without DOT or MC numbers, so they appear on the timeline as gaps with a pointer to the official source, never as a guess.
- Terms. The dataset pages state no licence. The terms for mass commercial use of FMCSA data are under legal review, so the page shows public identifiers and counts, labels dates and sends you to SAFER for the record of truth.
- Information, not advice. No safe or unsafe verdict is given anywhere on this page.
How to read this
- Read from the top. Dated rows run oldest to newest. Dashed rows with a hollow dot are things the copy does not hold.
- Check each source line. It names the FMCSA file and its date. The record can have changed since.
- Treat counts with their sample size. The out-of-service row shows the counts and a plausible range, because few inspections make any percentage unstable.
- For scale only. Across the 217,844 inspected carriers in this copy, pooled vehicle out-of-service share is 24.8% and driver 7.2%. This is pooled from the copy, not an FMCSA national average, and not a pass mark.
- Finish on the official record. Open SAFER and FMCSA Licensing and Insurance, then decide with your own checks.
Sample timeline (synthetic)
Invented company and numbers, shown only to illustrate the layout. It is not a real carrier and not drawn from the data files. Use the tool above for a real USDOT number.
March 2024
Operating authority granted
Oldest property authority still in force. About 2.6 years before the data date.
Source: Carrier - All With History (6eyk-hxee)
June 2024
Last MCS-150 update
Carrier-reported profile (3 power units, 2 drivers). 28 months before the data date, past the 24-month cycle.
Source: Company Census File (az4n-8mr2)
Oct 8, 2026
Active common property authority listed
Status on the file date, not a check of today.
Source: Carrier - All With History (6eyk-hxee)
24 months to Sep 13, 2026
Roadside inspections and out-of-service counts
3 of 11 vehicle inspections had an out-of-service order (27.3%, plausible range 10% to 56%). 0 of 6 driver inspections did.
Source: SMS AB PassProperty (4y6x-dmck)
Not in this copy
Insurance on file and lapses
Not in this copy for individual carriers. Check FMCSA Licensing and Insurance and ask for a certificate.
What to check next for this example: confirm the name and authority on SAFER; find the liability filing and get a certificate; ask how many trucks and drivers are running now, because the profile is past 24 months; read the inspection detail, since 11 inspections is a small sample.
The signals and what each means
National figures are context from the aggregate files, not statements about any one carrier.
| Signal | What it is | What it can tell you | What it does not tell you | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authority granted | Month the oldest property authority still in force was granted | How much history exists. Under 12 months means thin history. | Not a quality mark: new carriers are often fine and old ones are not automatically sound. | Carrier - All With History (6eyk-hxee) |
| Active authority listed | FMCSA listed the authority as in force on the file date | The carrier could legally haul regulated freight for hire on that date. | Not an insurance check and not valid today. Re-check on SAFER before you commit. | Carrier - All With History (6eyk-hxee) |
| MCS-150 update | Month of the carrier's last profile filing | How fresh the self-reported truck and driver counts are. Rule asks for an update every 24 months. | An old date means the size figures may be stale, not that anything is wrong. | Company Census File (az4n-8mr2) |
| Inspections and out-of-service counts | Roadside inspections in the 24-month SMS window and how many ended with an out-of-service order | How often roadside inspectors found a violation serious enough to stop the truck or driver. | Not a safety rating. Small samples swing; targeting inflates rates; zero inspections says nothing either way. | SMS AB PassProperty (4y6x-dmck) |
| Insurance filings and lapses | Liability filings with a cancellation date; coverage on file | Nationally, 20,983 of 398,114 liability filings (BMC-91 and 91X) carry a cancellation date (5.3%). | A cancellation date is not proof of a lapse; a replacement filing may exist. Per-carrier detail is not in this copy. | ActPendInsur (qh9u-swkp), file data/fmcsa_insurance_agg.json |
| Out-of-service orders | Orders against a carrier, such as for a failed safety audit or unpaid fine | Nationally the file holds 401,862 orders, 91,976 with status ACTIVE. One carrier can have several. | Different from a roadside out-of-service result. Per-carrier detail is not in this copy. | OUT OF SERVICE ORDERS (p2mt-9ige), file data/fmcsa_oos_orders_agg.json |
| Revocations and reinstatements | Authority revoked, then possibly reinstated | Nationally the revocation file shows 718,380 involuntary revocation records from 2015 on. | The open files give no reason, so insurance cannot be named as the cause. Per-carrier history is not in this copy. | Revocation (sa6p-acbp), file data/fmcsa_authority_revocations_agg.json |
| Crashes | Reportable crashes in the SMS window | Not shown here. | Look at the carrier's SMS page on the FMCSA site. | Not in this copy |
Questions
Can I enter an MC number?
Not to get a timeline. The copy behind this page is keyed by USDOT number and holds no docket (MC) numbers. If you type an MC number the page sends you to the official SAFER lookup, where you can find the USDOT number and then enter it here.
Are brokers covered?
No. The copy holds carriers with active for-hire property authority and 1 to 50 power units on the file date. Brokers, freight forwarders, private fleets, passenger carriers and carriers over 50 trucks are not in it. For a broker, check the bond or trust-fund filing (BMC-84 or BMC-85) on FMCSA Licensing and Insurance.
Why does the timeline say insurance and out-of-service orders are not in this copy?
The open files for insurance filings and out-of-service orders were pulled as national counts only, with no DOT or MC numbers kept. So the page can show how common these events are nationally (table below) but cannot tell you whether they apply to one carrier. It says so rather than leaving a gap that looks like good news.
Does a short or empty timeline mean the carrier is fine?
No. An empty row means the copy has nothing on it, or the carrier has few inspections. It is not a clean bill of health.
Does a long timeline or a high out-of-service share mean the carrier is unsafe?
No. Roadside outcomes depend on how often and where a truck is inspected, and inspectors target trucks. With under about 10 inspections one event moves the rate a lot, so the page shows a plausible range. Read the detail on SAFER and decide for yourself.
Is anything I type sent or saved?
No. The USDOT number is matched against files your browser downloads from this site, and the tick list is counted on the page. Nothing is posted, and nothing is kept after you close the tab.
How current is the data?
The copy was built Oct 9, 2026. The census file was dated Oct 9, 2026, the authority file Oct 8, 2026 and the inspection summary Sep 13, 2026. Anything that changed since is not here. The official record is always SAFER.
Is this a safety rating or advice?
No. It is information drawn from public files, laid out by date. It is not an FMCSA safety rating, an insurance or credit check, or advice about whom to hire or haul for.
Where the numbers come from
Related: broker vetting, red-flag checker.
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