DOT Carrier Data

Terms of Use

Last reviewed: October 20, 2026

These terms govern your use of dotcarrierdata.com and its free JSON API, published by Cornelia Cove LLC. By using the site or the API, you agree to them. Last updated October 20, 2026.

1. Informational service only

DOT Carrier Data is an independent informational tool that displays public data published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. Nothing on the site is legal, insurance, compliance or safety advice.

2. Verify before you rely on it

Data may be delayed, incomplete or wrong, both in FMCSA's own files and because results are cached for up to 24 hours. Before you book a load, hire a carrier or make any business decision, confirm operating status, authority, insurance and out-of-service orders on FMCSA's official SAFER system and your own vetting process. The risk signals on carrier pages are a summary of public data, not a rating or recommendation, as explained in our methodology.

3. Using the API

  • The API is free and needs no key. It is limited to 60 requests per minute per IP address, and we may change limits to keep the service available for everyone.
  • Do not use the site or API to bulk-download the full carrier database, to overload the service or to get around rate limits. FMCSA publishes its census file for bulk use on data.transportation.gov.
  • If you show API data in your own product, say that it comes from FMCSA and do not suggest that FMCSA, the Department of Transportation or Cornelia Cove LLC endorses your product.

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the service to harass, stalk or contact people in violation of law, including telemarketing and anti-spam laws, to misrepresent a carrier's status or to break any applicable law. We may block access that we reasonably believe breaks these terms.

5. Intellectual property

The underlying FMCSA data is public government information. The site's design, text, code and the DOT Carrier Data name belong to Cornelia Cove LLC.

6. No warranty

The site and API are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose and uninterrupted availability.

7. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Cornelia Cove LLC is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for any loss arising from decisions made using the site or API, including decisions to book or not book a carrier.

8. Changes and termination

We may update these terms, change features or discontinue the service. Material changes to these terms will be posted on this page with a new date. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated terms.

9. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for how you use the information you find here. Carrier vetting decisions involve many factors that this site does not show, such as the carrier's insurance certificate, its references, the specific equipment and drivers assigned to your load and any contract terms between you. Brokers and shippers should keep their own records of the checks they perform, including the date they confirmed a carrier's status on SAFER.

If you are a carrier and you find that your record looks wrong here, compare it with SAFER first. If SAFER shows the same information, the correction has to be made with FMCSA, usually by filing an updated MCS-150. If SAFER is correct and our page is not, contact us and we will look into it once the 24-hour cache has had time to refresh.

10. Links to other sites

The site links to FMCSA, the DOT open data portal and, on comparison pages, to other carrier lookup services. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy or privacy practices of those sites, and a link is not an endorsement. Their own terms apply when you use them. If a link to an official source stops working, please let us know so we can update it.

11. Indemnity

If you use the site or API in a way that breaks these terms or the law, and someone brings a claim against Cornelia Cove LLC because of it, you agree to cover the reasonable costs of that claim, to the extent the law allows.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.

13. Contact

Cornelia Cove LLC, 418 Broadway, Ste N, Albany, NY 12207. Email hello@corneliacove.com. See also our privacy policy and about page.