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USDOT Number vs MC Number

Updated September 2026

These two get mixed up constantly, and the mix-up costs people a non-refundable $300. Here is the difference in one breath: the USDOT number identifies your company; the MC number (operating authority) gives your company permission to haul other people's freight for money across state lines.

USDOT number

The federal ID number for the trucking business itself. It is required for interstate vehicles rated 10,001 lbs or more, it is free, and each USDOT number has exactly one designated company official - the owner, a partner, or an authorized officer. Motus randomizes newly issued numbers, so yours will not look like a sequence.

Many states also require a USDOT number for trucks that never leave the state. FMCSA's wizard tells you in five minutes.

Operating authority (the MC number)

Permission to work as a for-hire carrier in interstate commerce. For a general-freight trucker the type is Motor Carrier of Property (except household goods). It costs $300 per authority type, paid through Pay.gov inside the application, and it is not refundable if you pick the wrong type or do not need it.

You cannot haul a for-hire load until the authority is active - applied is not active. FMCSA had planned to eliminate MC numbers, but that change was deferred and is not part of the 2026 Motus release, so the docket number still exists; new ones carry a suffix, and C means property-carrier authority.

Who needs which

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