Free checker
Can my MC authority be sold?
Six questions about the company, its authority and its insurance. No sign-up and no contact details. The checker does not save your answers.
Question 1 of 6
How is the company set up?
Your state filing shows this. A sole proprietorship is registered in the owner’s own name.
MC numbers: FMCSA’s April 29, 2026 notice on Motus, its new registration system, says the Phase II release “will not include … the elimination of MC/FF numbers.” As of that notice, MC numbers are not being eliminated. Federal Register 2026-08334, accessed October 31, 2026.
What each result means
The checker gives one of four results. Each one quotes the rule it rests on.
A.The company can be sold with its authority
When the company is an LLC or a corporation, the company itself is what is sold, and its USDOT number and authority stay with it. FMCSA’s warning covers numbers sold on their own, outside a legitimate corporate transaction.
“DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT Number or Operating Authority (MC Number) online or elsewhere from an unknown person or outside of a legitimate corporate transaction.”
“If John, however, forms a corporation (e.g., John Doe, Inc.), John can sell the company and the USDOT Number goes with the company”
Next step: the free valuation pulls the FMCSA record. Veritor Group then comes back with a written offer, prepares the purchase agreement and closes in person or bank to bank, typically 3 to 5 business days after an offer is accepted when everything is in order.
B.The company can be sold; the authority needs attention first
The company is active, but part of its record needs attention before a closing. Most often that is insurance that is not active, or authority under 180 days.
“No motor carrier shall operate a motor vehicle until the motor carrier has obtained and has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility as set forth in § 387.9 of this subpart.”
“A DOT number, with interstate authority and that has been active for a minimum of 180 days”
Next step: the free valuation pulls the FMCSA record and shows what needs attention.
C.A sole proprietorship’s authority is not transferable as a company sale; here is what can be done
FMCSA ties a sole proprietor’s USDOT number to the owner as a person, so the number cannot move to a new owner. The business can still change hands, such as trucks, equipment and customer relationships, and the new owner registers with FMCSA under its own number.
“John Doe will always be the owner and only one who can ever use his USDOT Number.”
“… must apply for a USDOT number and if applicable, operating authority by electronically filing Form MCSA-1.”
Talk to us anyway. Call us and we will go through what the business has and what can be sold.
Phone: +1 (326) 222-5444
D.An inactive or revoked authority changes what is for sale
Without active authority, the company’s trucks cannot run loads that require operating authority. The company can still have value in its trucks, its customers and the entity itself, so what is for sale depends on the record.
“A motor vehicle providing transportation requiring operating authority must not be operated … Without the required operating authority”
Call us to talk through what the company has. The free valuation also pulls the FMCSA record.
Phone: +1 (326) 222-5444
Questions sellers ask
Can an MC number be sold on its own?
FMCSA says no. Its March 13, 2026 bulletin says: “DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT Number or Operating Authority (MC Number) online or elsewhere from an unknown person or outside of a legitimate corporate transaction.” What can be sold is the company that holds the authority.
Can a sole proprietor sell their MC authority?
FMCSA’s bulletin explains that a sole proprietor “will always be the owner and only one who can ever use his USDOT Number.” The business can still change hands, and the new owner registers with FMCSA under its own number. FMCSA’s rules say a new applicant “must apply for a USDOT number and if applicable, operating authority by electronically filing Form MCSA-1.”
Does the authority have to be 180 days old?
The 180-day mark comes from Amazon Relay. Its carrier page asks for “A DOT number, with interstate authority and that has been active for a minimum of 180 days.” A company with younger authority can still be valued.
Does the insurance have to be active?
FMCSA’s rule is that “No motor carrier shall operate a motor vehicle until the motor carrier has obtained and has in effect the minimum levels of financial responsibility as set forth in § 387.9 of this subpart.” Proof of coverage is filed with FMCSA on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X. In the checker, insurance that is not active means the authority needs attention first.
Are MC numbers being eliminated?
Not as of FMCSA’s April 29, 2026 notice on Motus, its new registration system. The notice says the Phase II release of Motus “will not include … the elimination of MC/FF numbers.”
The full process is on how it works, and the criteria are on what qualifies. To weigh the ways to sell, see four ways to sell a trucking company, compared. Terms like BOC-3 and MCS-150 are in the glossary.
Sources
CFR text is from the official annual edition on govinfo.gov, revised as of October 1, 2025. The FMCSA bulletin is quoted as reproduced by CDLLife; see also FMCSA’s original bulletin page.
- FMCSA bulletin of March 13, 2026, “DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT Number or Operating Authority (MC Number),” as reproduced by CDLLife, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Federal Register 2026-08334, “Availability of Motus, FMCSA’s New Registration System” (April 29, 2026), accessed October 31, 2026.
- 49 CFR part 365, annual edition revised as of October 1, 2025 (govinfo.gov), accessed October 31, 2026.
- 49 CFR part 387, annual edition revised as of October 1, 2025 (govinfo.gov), accessed October 31, 2026.
- 49 CFR part 390, annual edition revised as of October 1, 2025 (govinfo.gov), accessed October 31, 2026.
- 49 CFR part 392, annual edition revised as of October 1, 2025 (govinfo.gov), accessed October 31, 2026.
- Amazon Relay carrier home page (relay.amazon.com), accessed October 31, 2026.
- Amazon Relay, “Understanding Amazon Relay insurance requirements” (February 13, 2026), accessed October 31, 2026.