QuestionI am extremely confused. I am booking loads for my husband and his dad at hm Dad in law has a 12ft box trk. I am trying to find out what is the difference between a mc# and usdot#. Also what are the requirements for needing both? Plz help me understand this whole process cuz I am lost!
AnswerHi Nikki,
Sorry for the delay.
USDOT Number
Companies that operate commercial vehicles transporting passengers or hauling cargo in interstate commerce must be registered with the FMCSA and must have a USDOT Number. Also, commercial intrastate hazardous materials carriers who haul quantities requiring a safety permit must register for a USDOT Number. The USDOT Number serves as a unique identifier when collecting and monitoring a company’s safety information acquired during audits, compliance reviews, crash investigations, and inspections.
New-Entrant Program
All first-time carrier applicants for a USDOT Number will be automatically enrolled in the FMCSA New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. This program requires new entrants to pass a safety audit and maintain acceptable roadside safety performance over an initial 18-month period before they are given permanent registration status. In most cases, companies operating exclusively as brokers or non-vehicle-operating shippers or freight forwarders do not need to obtain a USDOT Number.
Some States Require USDOT Numbers
In select states (see list below), all registrants of commercial motor vehicles, even intrastate and non-Motor Carrier registrants, are required to obtain a USDOT Number as a necessary condition for commercial vehicle registration.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
MC# OR ICC#
The Reach of Operating Authority
FMCSA operating authority is also referred to as an "MC," "FF," or "MX" number, depending on the type of authority that is granted. Unlike the USDOT Number application process, a company may need to obtain multiple operating authorities to support its planned business operations. Operating Authority dictates the type of operation a company may run, the cargo it may carry, and the geographical area in which it may legally operate.
Financial Responsibility and Exemptions
All of this also dictates the level of insurance/financial responsibilities a company must maintain. Carriers not required to have operating authority include Private carriers, "for-hire" carriers that exclusively haul exempt commodities (cargo that is not federally regulated), or carriers that operate exclusively within a federally designated "commercial zone" that is exempt from interstate authority rules. A commercial zone is, for example, a geographic territory that includes multiple states bordering on a major metropolitan city, such as Virginia/Maryland/Washington, DC.
In general...
Companies that operate as “for hire” carriers (for a fee or other compensation) that transport passengers or federally regulated commodities, or arrange for their transport, in interstate commerce are also required to have interstate operating authority.
I hope this answers your question. If I can answer anything else, let me know. You can also go to www.fmcsa.dot.gov, which is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website.
God Bless, Israel
