USDOT & ICC/MC Authority

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Companies that operate commercial vehicles transporting passengers or hauling cargo in interstate commerce must be registered and must have a USDOT Number. Also, commercial intrastate hazardous materials carriers who haul types and quantities requiring a safety permit.

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. 

You are required to obtain a USDOT number if you have a vehicle that:

• Is used to transport the types and quantities of hazardous materials requiring a safety permit in intrastate commerce 

OR

• Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater; or
• Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or
• Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is used to transport passengers for compensation;

Trade, traffic, or transportation in the United States of America

• Between a place in a State and a place outside of such State (including a place outside of the United States);
• Between two places in a State through another State or a place outside of the United States; or
• Between two places in a State as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating or terminating outside the State or the United States.

You are required by Federal Law to obtain a USDOT Number and comply with the Federal Regulations.

It is the responsibility of motor carrier operators and drivers to know and comply with all applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Safety compliance and safe operations translate into saved lives and protected property.  We believe the information in this package, when effectively applied, will contribute to safer motor carrier operations and highways. 

 In general, companies that do the following are required to have interstate operating authority:

• Operating as for-hire carriers (for a fee or other compensation)
• Transporting passengers, or arranging for their transport, in interstate commerce
• Transporting federally regulated commodities or arranging for their transport, in interstate commerce

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 and the cargo it may carry on a for profit basis 

A USDOT Number or United States Dept of Transportation Number is an general identification number for the Dept of Transportation to be able to Track the overall Safety and Fitness of a Commercially operated vehicle. The USDOT Number is issued to the Company and All of their Commercially qualified and operated vehicles are tracked within it. 

Most Commercial Motor Carriers must have a USDOT Number. 

A ICC/MC Authority Number is the Document number that allows a Commercially operated Carrier to Engage in Interstate Commerce. This can be achieved by various different situations. 

Examples of these operators are as follows:

• Operating as for-hire carriers (for a fee or other compensation)
• Transporting passengers, or arranging for their transport, in interstate commerce
• Transporting federally regulated commodities or arranging for their transport, in interstate commerce

Some Carriers might not be required to have an operating authority.  These could be including but not limited the following:

• Private carriers (carriers that transport their own cargo)
• "For-hire" carriers that exclusively haul exempt commodities (cargo that is not federally regulated)
• 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

The ICC/MC Authority Number Also determines the Level of Insurance or Financial responsibilities a company or carrier must Maintain.