What is a USDOT number?

Have you been researching companies for a move? Reliable and trustworthy movers often list their affiliations and unique identifiers like a USDOT number from the FMCSA... but what do these acronyms mean? And does every mover need a USDOT number?

United States Department of Transportation

USDOT stands for the United States Department of Transportation which is part of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The FMCSA requires any commercial vehicle that is transporting goods across state lines to register for a USDOT number. The USDOT allows the FMCSA to monitor a moving company's:

• compliance reviews
• crash investigations
• inspection history
• other safety information

Interstate versus intrastate moves

Certain states also require moving companies performing paid intrastate jobs to register for a USDOT number. Any company from the following states should have a USDOT number displayed on their vehicle and website:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• New Jersey
• New York
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming