How to Check if an Auto Transport Company Is Legit
To check if an auto transport company is legit, look up its USDOT and MC numbers on FMCSA's SAFER system, confirm the operating authority is active, check whether it's registered as a broker or a carrier, confirm insurance is on file, and search the FMCSA complaint database for its history. All of it is free and runs in a browser.
Every step below works on any company, including us. Our own MC and USDOT numbers are near the end, so you can run the check yourself.
| Step | What to check | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USDOT and MC numbers | FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot | Whether the company is a real, federally registered entity, not just a name on a website |
| 2 | Operating status | Same SAFER record | Whether the registration is currently active, revoked or was never granted |
| 3 | Entity type | SAFER record's Entity Type field | Whether the company is registered as a broker, a carrier, or both |
| 4 | Insurance and bond on file | FMCSA Licensing & Insurance system | Whether required coverage is actually filed, not just claimed on the company's own site |
| 5 | Complaint history | FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database | Whether other customers have filed federal complaints against the company's USDOT number |
How do I look up a company's USDOT and MC numbers?
Search the company's name, USDOT number or MC number directly in FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot search form. It returns the company's legal name, address, entity type and safety record for free.
You can look up a legitimate company this way in under a minute. If a company's website states a USDOT or MC number but the SAFER record shows a different legal name, a different address, or no record at all, that mismatch is worth asking about directly before you book.
How do I know if a company's operating authority is active?
The same SAFER Company Snapshot record states whether the company's authority is active, revoked or otherwise, and you shouldn't book with a company whose authority isn't active.
Federal law lets a company's registration be suspended, amended or revoked after the Secretary of Transportation gives notice and an opportunity for a hearing, which is why a number existing on a website isn't proof that the authority behind it is still in force. Checking the status field directly answers the question a printed number can't.
Is the company registered as a broker or a carrier?
The SAFER record's Entity Type field states whether a company is registered as a Broker, a Carrier, or both. That field shows whether the company arranges your shipment or drives the truck itself.
Federal law requires separate registration for each role and bars a broker from providing motor carrier service without registering separately to do so. A company's own marketing language, such as "licensed and insured" or "professional drivers", doesn't answer this question. The Entity Type field does. See auto transport broker vs carrier for what each role actually does and doesn't do.
How do I check if a company has insurance on file?
FMCSA's Licensing & Insurance system shows whether a company currently has the required liability, cargo or bond coverage on file with the federal government, marked yes or no by category.
A property broker has to keep the federally required surety bond or trust fund in effect, and a motor carrier has to keep liability and cargo coverage in effect, as a condition of staying registered. "Fully insured" printed on a company's own homepage is a marketing claim; a filing showing current compliance is a fact you can check independently. Applications and insurance filings can take a few business days to appear after they're submitted, so a very recent filing may not show up right away.
How do I check a company's complaint history?
FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database lets you search and file complaints against a company's USDOT number, and checking it before you book surfaces patterns a single review site wouldn't show you.
The database exists specifically for consumer-facing carrier and broker issues, separate from any star-rating system a company publishes on its own site.
How do I verify Wave Auto Transport specifically?
We're a licensed property broker, MC-5573, USDOT 2962521, authorized for "Broker of Property (Except Household Goods)". You can run every step above on those two numbers directly.
Search either number in FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot and you'll get our own federal record: legal name, entity type, operating status and safety information, independent of anything stated on this site. You don't have to take our word for it: the same public record described above for any company is the one to check for us.
Where these numbers come from
These are the federal sources behind the numbers and rules above, each listed with the date it was checked.
Frequently asked questions about verifying an auto transport company
- Is a USDOT number the same thing as an MC number?
No. A USDOT number identifies a company for safety oversight; an MC number records a specific grant of operating authority, such as broker or carrier authority. A company can have one, both, or neither, and they answer different questions. See what is an MC number and what is a USDOT number for the full distinction.
- What does it mean if a company's SAFER record shows Entity Type: Broker?
It means the company is registered to arrange transportation and assign shipments to motor carriers, not to operate its own trucks. See auto transport broker vs carrier for what that changes about who is responsible for what.
- Is a bigger insurance or bond amount better?
The property broker bond is a fixed federal minimum, so the requirement is the same for every registered property broker rather than varying by company size. Checking that the bond is on file and current matters more than memorizing the amount.
- Can a company's operating authority be revoked after it's granted?
Yes. Federal law lets the Secretary of Transportation suspend, amend or revoke a registration after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, so a company that once had active authority isn't guaranteed to still have it, so checking the current status field matters more than trusting a number printed in a footer.
- What if a company has no complaints in the FMCSA database?
It means no federal consumer complaint has been filed against that USDOT number in the database, not that no customer has ever had a problem. It's one data point to check alongside operating status, entity type and insurance, not a verdict on its own.
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