Understanding Your Carrier Snapshot

What Is the Carrier Snapshot?

The carrier snapshot (officially the Company Snapshot from FMCSA's SAFER system) is a public summary of a motor carrier's registration, safety performance, and operating authority status. It is the most commonly viewed public report for any company with a USDOT number.

You can view carrier snapshots for any carrier through our carrier profile pages.

Sections of the Snapshot

Entity Information

This section displays basic registration data:

• USDOT Number: The unique federal identifier for the carrier
• Legal Name: The carrier's registered legal business name
• DBA Name: "Doing Business As" name, if different from the legal name
• Physical Address: The carrier's principal place of business
• Phone Number: Contact number on file with FMCSA
• MC/MX/FF Number: Operating authority docket number(s)
• DUNS Number: If provided during registration

Operating Status

• USDOT Status: Active, Inactive, or Not Authorized. An active status means the carrier's registration is current.
• Operating Authority Status: Shows whether the carrier's authority is Active, Inactive, or Revoked for each type held (common, contract, broker, freight forwarder)
• Out-of-Service Date: If the carrier has been placed out of service, this date is shown

Operation Classification

Shows the type of operation and cargo:

• Carrier Operation: Interstate, intrastate (hazmat), intrastate (non-hazmat)
• Operation Classification: Authorized For-Hire, Exempt For-Hire, Private (Property), Private (Passenger), etc.
• Cargo Carried: General freight, household goods, metal/sheets/coils, motor vehicles, fresh produce, chemicals, etc.

Safety Record

This is often the most scrutinized section. It includes:

• Safety Rating: Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory, or Not Rated. Issued after a compliance review.
• Safety Rating Date: When the most recent rating was issued
• Review Type: The type of review that produced the rating

Inspection Summary (24 Months)

A rolling 24-month summary of roadside inspection activity:

• Total inspections
• Vehicle inspections and vehicle OOS count/percentage
• Driver inspections and driver OOS count/percentage
• Hazmat inspections and hazmat OOS count/percentage (if applicable)

National averages are shown for comparison. Carriers with OOS rates well above the national average raise red flags for shippers and brokers.

Crash Data (24 Months)

Summary of DOT-reportable crashes:

• Total crashes
• Fatal crashes
• Injury crashes
• Towaway crashes

Why Your Snapshot Matters

The carrier snapshot is the first thing that shippers, brokers, and insurance companies check when evaluating a carrier. A snapshot that shows:

• Active authority and current registration builds confidence
• High OOS rates raise concerns about vehicle maintenance and driver fitness
• An unsatisfactory safety rating can disqualify you from hauling for many shippers
• Recent crash history may affect insurance rates and load availability

Keeping Your Snapshot Clean

• Update your MCS-150 (biennial update) on time to maintain active USDOT status
• Maintain adequate insurance to keep authority active
• Monitor your SMS scores and address violations proactively
• Challenge inaccurate data through DataQs
• Focus on reducing OOS rates through preventive maintenance and driver training