How we verify

Car Shipper Check is compiled from public records, not from who paid to be listed.

Sources

• FMCSA Company Census File (DOT datahub az4n-8mr2) — Every USDOT-registered motor carrier: legal and DBA name, address, phone, cargo classes, fleet, drivers, operating-authority dockets, safety rating, registration date and MCS-150 date. Published by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
• FMCSA Motus Carrier file (inys-ebih) and legacy Licensing & Insurance carrier file (6eyk-hxee) — Operating-authority type and status for every docket, and the liability insurance amount on file for carriers in Motus.
• FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot — Live registration, authority, insurance and inspection summary for any USDOT number. Every profile links to it.

We pull the FMCSA Company Census and keep carriers whose USDOT status is active, whose classification is authorized for hire, and who list motor vehicles as cargo but neither general freight nor household goods. That narrows the much larger pool of for-hire registrations that list motor vehicles (most of them general freight carriers) to the companies that specialize in hauling vehicles.

We then require an MC docket marked active, a phone number, at least one power unit and an MCS-150 registration update within the last 24 months, and current operating authority as a motor carrier of property in FMCSA's operating-authority records: the Motus registration file, updated daily, or for carriers not yet in Motus the legacy Licensing & Insurance file (last updated May 14, 2026). That leaves about 9,300 carriers. Brokers are never listed.

Companies with towing, wrecker or recovery in their name, or that list disabled vehicles as cargo, are grouped as towing & recovery; the rest as vehicle haulers. Liability insurance on file is shown where the Motus file reports an amount for an active authority. Fleet size, driver counts and cargo types are self-reported on the MCS-150. Safety ratings are shown with the review date; most carriers have never been rated.

Order within a city: vehicle haulers first, then companies that present themselves as auto transporters, then larger reported fleet and longer registration, then alphabetical. Featured carriers appear in a separate, labelled box and never change that order.

What a badge means

Active FMCSA authority: FMCSA operating-authority records (the Motus registration file, or the legacy Licensing & Insurance file for carriers not yet migrated) show the company as authorized for hire as a motor carrier of property on the date shown, and the FMCSA Company Census shows an active USDOT registration that lists motor vehicles as cargo. We only publish positive matches. A listing without a badge is not an accusation — most gaps are name variations between registries.

Freshness

Data was last refreshed on 2026-10-16. FMCSA updates the census and authority files continuously; we re-pull them weekly. Authority and insurance can change daily, so confirm on SAFER before you book.

Corrections

Email sabrsystemssoftware@gmail.com or claim your listing on the for-business page. We fix verified errors within two business days.