The FMCSA database explained
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the federal agency that licenses every interstate moving company in the United States. Every legitimate carrier has a USDOT number, often a Motor Carrier (MC) number, and a public record showing their insurance status, safety history, and complaint count.
This is the database your friend who works in logistics tells you to check. It is free, it is run by the federal government, and most moving customers have no idea it exists.
Step by step: how to look up a mover
- Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov (the SAFER company snapshot tool).
- In the search box, enter the company name OR the USDOT number (the mover should have this on their website, in their email signature, or on the side of the truck).
- Click the result. You will see a full company snapshot.
What you are looking at:
USDOT and MC numbers
Both should be present and listed as Active. If the status reads “Out of Service” or “Not Authorized,” stop. This carrier cannot legally move you across state lines.
Operating authority
For interstate moves, you need a mover with “Authorized for HHG” (Household Goods) operating authority. Trucking companies with general freight authority cannot legally move your stuff.
Insurance status
The snapshot shows whether the carrier has active bodily injury, property damage, and cargo insurance filings. All three should be on file. If any are missing or expired, walk away.
Crash and complaint history
Scroll to the inspection and crash summary. A few inspection violations are normal for a company with a fleet. Patterns of out-of-service violations or recent crashes are not.
If the company you are checking is a broker (not a carrier), they will have a slightly different filing structure. Brokers still need MC authority and should have a $75,000 surety bond on file. A licensed broker is fine — an unlicensed one is the same red flag as an unlicensed carrier.
Red flags to walk away from
- No USDOT number on the website or in emails
- Refuses to provide their DOT number when you ask
- Asks for a large cash deposit (over 25%)
- Refuses to do an in-home or video walkthrough before quoting
- Quote is dramatically lower than other quotes
- Website lists an MC number but the FMCSA record shows it belongs to a different company
- The truck has a different company name on it than the one you booked
Any one of these is a yellow flag. Two or more is a no.
How goCubify automates this
Every carrier in the goCubify network is checked against the FMCSA database at onboarding and again automatically every week. Active DOT number, valid insurance, household goods authority, complaint history under threshold. If a carrier's status changes mid-week, they are pulled from the network immediately and not eligible for new bookings.
You can also still do the lookup yourself if you want to. We list the DOT number for your assigned carrier in your booking confirmation. The federal database is for everyone. More on how the network is built in How goCubify Works.