New authority

New USDOT Number: The Calls, Letters and Emails You Will Get

Within days of applying for a USDOT number you will hear from insurance agents, process agents, drug-testing consortiums, permit services, factoring companies and ELD sellers, and from people posing as FMCSA. It is not a leak. FMCSA publishes motor carrier contact information under the government's open data policy, for existing carriers and for new applicants.

FMCSA's position is short: it will not call you right after you apply, it does not use telemarketers or robocalls, and the government generally does not require you to use any private vendor. This page sorts the mandatory from the optional and the fake.

Check a call or letter Read FAQ

Quick answer

Who is really calling a new carrier?

Mostly private businesses that read the public FMCSA list. That is legal. What is not legal is posing as FMCSA or USDOT. FMCSA says it will not call you immediately after you submit your application, will not contact you through telemarketers or robocalls, and will not ask for a credit card number.

Free check

Paste the call script, text, email or letter to check it

Write down what the caller said, or paste the message. The sample is a robocall that poses as the DOT.

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What is actually required of a new carrier

FMCSA's registration steps and federal rules, in plain terms. Requirements depend on your operation, so confirm yours on FMCSA's Getting Started page.

  • Proof of insurance (financial responsibility). For a for-hire carrier hauling non-hazardous property in interstate commerce with vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, federal rules set a minimum of $750,000 in public liability coverage. Certain hazardous materials raise it to $1,000,000 or $5,000,000.
  • A process agent designation (Form BOC-3). FMCSA requires it of for-hire carriers, and of brokers in each state where they have an office or write contracts. FMCSA publishes a list of registered process agent companies.
  • UCR registration each year if you are covered. See the 2027 UCR fees.
  • The New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. FMCSA monitors new carriers for the first 18 months and conducts a safety audit within 12 months after you begin operations.
  • A biennial update of your MCS-150. It is free.

Why insurance calls are different

Insurance is one of the few items on the list you cannot do yourself: a licensed agent or insurer has to provide it. FMCSA lists operating without the required level of insurance among the violations that make a new carrier automatically fail its safety audit. So insurance calls are normal, and most are legitimate. Judge them like any other vendor.

  • A real agent says which agency they work for and gives a license number you can look up with your state insurance department.
  • A real agent never claims to be FMCSA, USDOT or "the DOT".
  • Nobody legitimate needs your USDOT PIN or FMCSA Portal password to quote insurance.
  • Do not pay a deposit by gift card, Zelle or wire to an agent you have not verified.

Optional services that sound mandatory

These are real services sold by private companies. FMCSA says the U.S. Government does not endorse and generally does not require the use of private businesses or vendors.

  • "DOT compliance" packages, posters, "registration certificates" and "USDOT number activation".
  • Filing your UCR, BOC-3 or MCS-150 update for a fee. Legal, and optional: check what each one costs when you do it yourself.
  • Anything sold with a deadline measured in hours.

What is a scam

  • Anyone posing as FMCSA or USDOT by phone, email, text or letter.
  • Requests for your PIN, SSN, EIN, bank details or a credit card "to complete your registration".
  • Offers to sell, rent or lease an "aged" MC or USDOT number. FMCSA says a USDOT Number may not be sold, transferred, rented or leased, and that it will inactivate numbers used by anyone other than the assigned legal person.
  • Fake safety audit emails with a form asking for your PIN, EIN and SSN. FMCSA says audit communications typically come from a dedicated FMCSA mailbox or from the state agency assigned to your audit.
  • FMCSA asks carriers to report telemarketers who pose as FMCSA or USDOT to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Example: a robocall posing as the DOT

Input

This is the Department of Transportation compliance division calling about your new DOT number. Your registration is incomplete. Press 1 now and have a credit card ready to avoid suspension of your authority.

What to notice

  • FMCSA says it does not contact carriers through telemarketers or robocalls and will not ask for a credit card number.
  • To confirm any contact that claims to be FMCSA, hang up and call the FMCSA Contact Center yourself at 1-800-832-5660.

New USDOT number FAQ

How did they get my number so fast?

FMCSA publicly displays motor carrier contact information (name, address and phone number) under the government's open data policy, for existing carriers and for all future applicants. FMCSA says that once it is public you may be contacted by private businesses and vendors.

Do I have to buy a DOT compliance package?

FMCSA says the U.S. Government does not endorse and generally does not require the use of private businesses or vendors. Some things are required, such as insurance and a process agent, but who you buy them from is your choice.

What insurance does a new trucking authority need?

Federal rules (49 CFR 387.9) set the minimum public liability coverage: $750,000 for for-hire carriers of non-hazardous property in interstate commerce with vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, and $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 for certain hazardous materials. Your customers may require more than the federal minimum.

When is my new entrant safety audit?

FMCSA says new entrants are monitored during an initial 18-month period, and that the safety audit occurs within 12 months after beginning operations.

Someone offered me an older MC number. Is that legal?

FMCSA says a USDOT Number or operating authority may not be sold, transferred, rented or leased outside a legitimate corporate transaction, and that it will inactivate the number and revoke related registrations when it discovers it.

Is ScamSpot part of FMCSA or the government?

No. ScamSpot is an independent website. It is not FMCSA, USDOT or the UCR Plan. It compares the message you paste with rules those agencies publish, and links to the official page behind each one.

Official sources

The requirements and FMCSA's position on telemarketing come from these official pages, read on September 21, 2026.

ScamSpot is an independent website. It is not FMCSA, USDOT or the UCR Plan.