Can you sell just your MC number? Why the company goes with it

Short answer: no. You can't sell an MC number by itself, and you can't sell a DOT number by itself either. What you can sell is the company that holds them. When a trucking LLC changes hands, its MC authority, its DOT number and its history go with it, because they belong to the company and not to you personally.

This is one of the questions we hear most often from owner-operators who are thinking about getting out. Plenty of people search for "MC authority for sale" or ask "how do I sell my MC", and plenty of listings offer exactly that. Here is how it actually works, and why it matters for you.

What FMCSA says

In March 2026 FMCSA published guidance warning carriers not to sell, buy or lease a USDOT or MC number outside a legitimate corporate transaction. The points that matter for a seller:

• Authority held by an LLC or a corporation goes with the company when the company is sold.
• Authority registered to a sole proprietor does not transfer at all.
• FMCSA inactivates authorities that are sold, leased or transferred outside a legitimate corporate transaction, and incorrect filings can lead to inactivation or revocation regardless of what the two sides intended.

You can read FMCSA's notice on the FMCSA newsroom.

So the question isn't really "can I sell my MC?" It's "can I sell my company, and what comes with it?"

What selling the company means

When you sell your trucking LLC, the company itself changes owners. It does not dissolve and start over. That's why everything attached to it stays attached:

• the MC authority and the DOT number
• the EIN
• the company's safety record and inspection history
• the company's record of insurance filings on FMCSA
• an Amazon Relay account, if the company has one, because Relay accounts are set up for the carrier company

The paperwork is a purchase agreement and a bill of sale for the company itself. You can see the full list of what moves at closing in what transfers when you sell a trucking LLC.

Why "MC for sale" listings are a risk

Listings that offer to buy or sell a bare MC number usually skip the company entirely. That's the arrangement FMCSA's guidance is aimed at. The practical risks for a seller:

• The authority can be inactivated. FMCSA says so in plain terms, and an inactivated authority is worth nothing to anyone.
• You may not know who ends up operating under your company's authority. A bare number sold to a stranger leaves you with no agreement that says who is responsible for what.
• Payment often comes before paperwork, or with no paperwork at all. A real sale starts with a written agreement you can read. You are paid directly, in the order your bill of sale sets, and logins only change hands at closing.

None of this means you're stuck. It means the sale has to be a sale of the company, done properly.

If you're a sole proprietor

If your authority was issued to you as a sole proprietor rather than to an LLC or a corporation, there is no company to sell, and FMCSA says that authority does not transfer. It's worth knowing this before you spend time talking to anyone who says otherwise.

If you only have a DOT number

A DOT number with no MC authority behind it is not something a buyer can take over on its own. If you're unsure which you have, your FMCSA record shows both.

What buyers look at instead

Because a buyer is taking over a whole company, they look at the company, not a number. The things that come up again and again:

• The safety record. Inspections, out-of-service orders and crashes on the FMCSA record.
• Insurance continuity. Whether coverage has been continuous or has lapsed.
• Operating history. How long the company has held authority and whether it has been running freight.
• Amazon Relay status. Whether the company has an active Relay account and how it has performed.
• What the company owes. Have the details ready; how it's handled is worked out on the call.

Every company is different, so what it's worth is worked out on a call after looking at the record. Our MC authority value framework explains the factors in more detail.

How Veritor fits in

Veritor Group coordinates the sale of US trucking companies. A separate carrier buys the company; Veritor values it from the public FMCSA record, prepares the paperwork and coordinates the handover. You keep the full amount you agree to.

Closing takes 3–5 business days from the signed agreement. Nobody will ever ask you to send a password or a code in writing.

Before you call anyone

Have these to hand. They make the first conversation faster with anyone you talk to:

• your MC or DOT number
• your articles of organization (the filing that created the LLC)
• your EIN letter
• your current insurance details

If you'd like to see where your company stands, start a free valuation with your MC or DOT number, or read how the sale works step by step.