DOT Carrier Data

Editorial Policy

Last reviewed: October 21, 2026

DOT Carrier Data is published by Cornelia Cove LLC, 418 Broadway, Ste N, Albany, NY 12207. This policy explains what the site is for, how its pages are prepared, and how to report mistakes. You can reach us at partners@corneliacove.com.

What the site is

DOT Carrier Data is a free lookup for USDOT and MC numbers, built for freight brokers, shippers and carriers who want a quick first read on a motor carrier. It shows public records published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a short color-coded checklist of risk signals and a free JSON API for developers.

What the site is not

  • It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation.
  • It is not legal, insurance, compliance or safety advice, and its risk signals are not a safety score, a rating or a recommendation.
  • It is not the official record. FMCSA's SAFER system is, and you should confirm any carrier there before you book a load.

How pages are prepared

Carrier pages are built by the site's code each time a record is requested, from the FMCSA Company Census File and FMCSA's QCMobile API, as listed on our sources page. Nobody writes or edits individual carrier records by hand. The risk signals follow fixed rules, published in our methodology, that apply the same way to every carrier, and each carrier page lists its sources with the time they were retrieved.

Explanatory pages, such as the methodology, these policies and the tool comparisons, are prepared by the publisher, Cornelia Cove LLC. The methodology describes the data the site uses and how each risk signal is set, and our sources page links each FMCSA record and rule we rely on, so you can check those pages against the originals.

Comparisons with other tools

When we compare DOT Carrier Data with other lookup services, we describe those products from their own public pages, give the date we checked them and state plainly that we make DOT Carrier Data. Prices and features change, so check each vendor's own site.

About FMCSA data accuracy

Data may be delayed, incomplete or wrong, both in FMCSA's own files and because results here are cached for up to 24 hours. When FMCSA's data does not report an out-of-service order, we show "Unknown (verify on SAFER)" rather than claiming the carrier is clear, because missing data is not proof. Insurance filings, inspection details and crash reports are not shown in full; use SAFER and FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance system for those.

Corrections

If something here looks wrong, or a link to an official source stops working, email partners@corneliacove.com with the page address or USDOT number and what you saw. What happens next depends on where the error sits:

  • Our page. If SAFER is correct and a carrier page here is not, tell us and we will look into it once the 24-hour cache has had time to refresh. If a link to an official source stops working, let us know so we can update it. You can also write to us if you think a statement on one of our explanatory pages is wrong.
  • FMCSA's record. We cannot change FMCSA data. If the official record is wrong, the carrier must update it with FMCSA, usually by filing an updated MCS-150. Our pages reflect the change once FMCSA publishes it and our cache refreshes.

Personal details

We do not display email addresses, cell phone numbers or company officer names from FMCSA's census file. See our privacy policy for record review requests and our terms of use.