What does NOT AUTHORIZED mean on a SAFER snapshot?

The entity's USDOT number is active, but the carrier does not hold any operating authority and is not authorized to operate as an interstate for-hire carrier. FMCSA notes this status does not apply to private or intrastate operations.

What is the MCS-150 Form Date field?

The date from the carrier's MCS-150 registration form, i.e. when the registration information was last filed.

Is the SMS score a federal safety rating?

FMCSA cautions that unless a carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR part 385 or has been ordered to discontinue operations, it is authorized to operate, and readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier's overall safety condition from SMS data alone.

Federal compliance

DOT number lookup: how to read a SAFER snapshot

A DOT number lookup runs on FMCSA's own SAFER Company Snapshot: type a USDOT number, docket number, or company name and the public record comes back at no charge. This guide walks the lookup step by step, translates every status field, and covers the two companion tools that fill in authority and insurance.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026

Where the lookup lives

The Company Snapshot is a concise electronic record of a company's identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including the safety rating (if any), a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information. It is available free of charge via an ad-hoc query, one carrier at a time.

Users can search the Company Snapshot by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name. The tool itself is FMCSA's Company Snapshot; this site runs no lookup of its own, and neither should anyone else you trust with the question. If you are here to get a number rather than check one, start with how to get a USDOT number.

The lookup, step by step

Open FMCSA's Company Snapshot. The Company Snapshot is a concise electronic record of a company's identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including the safety rating (if any), a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information. It is available free of charge via an ad-hoc query, one carrier at a time.
Search by number or by name. Users can search the Company Snapshot by USDOT number, MC/MX number, or company name.
Read the operating status before anything else. The status line decides whether the rest of the record matters. The hard stop is OUT-OF-SERVICE: The carrier is under an out-of-service order of some type and is not authorized to operate.
Check how current the record is. The date from the carrier's MCS-150 registration form, i.e. when the registration information was last filed. An old date means the identification and size figures below it are equally old.
Read the safety record. The carrier's compliance measure from a review: Satisfactory (no evidence of substantial non-compliance), Conditional (out of compliance with one or more safety requirements), or Unsatisfactory (evidence of substantial noncompliance). The effective date is when the review was entered into MCMIS.
Cross-check authority and insurance in L&I. FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance (L&I) search is the agency's public authority-and-insurance record. It is queried by USDOT number or docket number (MC, FF, or MX), or by legal name, DBA name, and state when the number is unknown.
Check SMS, with FMCSA's own caveat. FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) publishes carrier performance data: inspection and crash data, investigation results, and measures for the public Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs are hidden from public view for property carriers, and FMCSA states the SMS symbol is not a federal safety rating. FMCSA cautions that unless a carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR part 385 or has been ordered to discontinue operations, it is authorized to operate, and readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier's overall safety condition from SMS data alone.

What each operating status means

The operating status is the first field worth reading, because it decides whether the carrier may legally run at all. FMCSA's own field definitions:

Status	What it means
ACTIVE	The entity's USDOT number is active.
AUTHORIZED FOR Passenger, Property, or HHG	Lists the specific operating authorities the carrier (or broker) is allowed to operate.
NOT AUTHORIZED	The entity's USDOT number is active, but the carrier does not hold any operating authority and is not authorized to operate as an interstate for-hire carrier. FMCSA notes this status does not apply to private or intrastate operations.
OUT-OF-SERVICE	The carrier is under an out-of-service order of some type and is not authorized to operate.
Inactive USDOT Number	The number is inactive per 49 CFR 390.19(b)(4): the biennial update of MCS-150 data was not completed.

The inactive status is the self-inflicted one: it comes from skipping the MCS-150 biennial update, a free filing. And a snapshot that shows an active number with no authority is the split explained in operating authority vs USDOT number: the number identifies, the authority permits.

The rest of the snapshot fields

Out of Service Date: The date the company was ordered out of service. If there are multiple out-of-service orders, SAFER shows the earliest date.
MCS-150 Form Date: The date from the carrier's MCS-150 registration form, i.e. when the registration information was last filed.
MCS-150 Form Mileage: The mileage reported on the MCS-150 registration form.
Entity Type: The type of operation: a carrier, a hazardous materials shipper, both a carrier and a shipper, or a registrant.
MC/MX/FF Number(s): The docket number issued by FMCSA granting authority for interstate operations. Before January 1, 1996, the MC number was issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Freight forwarder (FF) and MX docket numbers appear in the same field.
Power Units: The number of trucks, tractors, hazardous material tank trucks, motor coaches, school buses, mini-bus/vans, and limousines the carrier owns, term leases, or trip leases.
Drivers: The total number of drivers employed by the carrier or shipper.
Carrier Safety Rating: The carrier's compliance measure from a review: Satisfactory (no evidence of substantial non-compliance), Conditional (out of compliance with one or more safety requirements), or Unsatisfactory (evidence of substantial noncompliance). The effective date is when the review was entered into MCMIS.
Inspections: Roadside inspections conducted within the past two years, listed as total, driver, vehicle, and hazmat, with rows for the number and percentage that resulted in an out-of-service status.
Crashes: Each crash is recorded once, at its highest level of severity: fatal, injury, or tow-away. The crash total is the sum of those three categories.

Beyond SAFER: insurance and safety data

FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance (L&I) search is the agency's public authority-and-insurance record. It is queried by USDOT number or docket number (MC, FF, or MX), or by legal name, DBA name, and state when the number is unknown. The L&I search is where an MC number's grant, insurance filings, and any revocation history live.

FMCSA's Safety Measurement System (SMS) publishes carrier performance data: inspection and crash data, investigation results, and measures for the public Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs). The Crash Indicator and Hazardous Materials Compliance BASICs are hidden from public view for property carriers, and FMCSA states the SMS symbol is not a federal safety rating. It is published at FMCSA's SMS site.

FMCSA is also replacing its legacy registration systems with one new online system; the MOTUS transition covers what moves, what stays, and what that means for a lookup workflow.

Why new carriers should run their own lookup

Every broker and shipper setup system reads the same public record you just learned to read, and it does so before anyone returns your call. Checking your own snapshot after the grant, and again after every filing, catches a lapsed status while it is still a paperwork problem. It is one of the checks in your first 30 days with new authority.

Frequently asked questions

Is a DOT number lookup free?: The Company Snapshot is a concise electronic record of a company's identification, size, commodity information, and safety record, including the safety rating (if any), a roadside out-of-service inspection summary, and crash information. It is available free of charge via an ad-hoc query, one carrier at a time.
What does NOT AUTHORIZED mean on a SAFER snapshot?: The entity's USDOT number is active, but the carrier does not hold any operating authority and is not authorized to operate as an interstate for-hire carrier. FMCSA notes this status does not apply to private or intrastate operations.
What is the MCS-150 Form Date field?: The date from the carrier's MCS-150 registration form, i.e. when the registration information was last filed.
Is the SMS score a federal safety rating?: FMCSA cautions that unless a carrier has received an Unsatisfactory safety rating under 49 CFR part 385 or has been ordered to discontinue operations, it is authorized to operate, and readers should not draw conclusions about a carrier's overall safety condition from SMS data alone.
How do I check a carrier's insurance on file with FMCSA?: FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance (L&I) search is the agency's public authority-and-insurance record. It is queried by USDOT number or docket number (MC, FF, or MX), or by legal name, DBA name, and state when the number is unknown.

Sources

Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.

SAFER Web - Company Snapshot · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
SAFER Web - Help (SAFER data field names) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FMCSA Licensing and Insurance carrier search · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FMCSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.