How FreightWatch Works

Type any of the following into the search bar on the home page or search page:

• Carrier or broker legal name (e.g. "J.B. Hunt")
• USDOT number (e.g. "141079")
• MC number (e.g. "MC123456")
• Phone number (e.g. "(555) 123-4567") — Pro
• City and state (e.g. "Dallas, TX")

Each result card shows you at a glance:

• Authority status (Authorized / Not Authorized)
• Safety rating (Satisfactory, Conditional, Unsatisfactory)
• Fleet size — drivers and power units
• MCS-150 Outdated flag if the carrier hasn't filed recently

The search page has a Carriers / Brokers toggle at the top. Broker search looks up freight brokers and freight forwarders by name or MC number.

On a broker detail page you can verify:

• Operating authority status — is the broker currently licensed by FMCSA?
• Broker bond on file — BMC-84/BMC-85 surety bond confirming financial backing
• Contact information and registration details

Pro subscribers can search a phone number to see every carrier registered with it — active, inactive, and revoked — with a count of how many are still authorized. Newest registrations are listed first, each with its registration date.

FreightWatch labels what the cluster most likely is — a corporate family, a registration agent, or a new registration worth a closer look — and flags inactive carriers with a poor safety record (a Conditional or Unsatisfactory rating, or serious recent crashes).

Carrier detail pages also show when a carrier's phone number is shared with other carriers, with a link straight to the full list.

The green "Authorized to Operate" or red "Out of Service" badge at the top reflects the carrier's current FMCSA status. Out-of-service carriers should not be dispatched until the order is lifted.

FMCSA assigns formal safety ratings after a compliance review:

• Satisfactory — meets safety standards
• Conditional — deficiencies found; monitor closely
• Unsatisfactory — serious violations; do not use
• Not Rated — no formal review yet (most carriers)

Pro subscribers see an A–F composite safety grade that combines every available data point into a single, actionable verdict — so you don't have to manually weigh a dozen metrics before deciding whether to dispatch.

The grade is calculated from 7 factors across 110 points:

• Operating authority & OOS orders — 20 pts
• FMCSA safety rating — 20 pts
• BASIC scores (Unsafe Driving, HOS, Vehicle Maintenance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances, Hazmat, Crash Indicator) — 25 pts
• Driver, vehicle & hazmat OOS rates vs. national averages — 20 pts
• Total crash rate per million miles — 10 pts
• Fatal crash rate per million miles — 10 pts
• MCS-150 filing currency — 5 pts

A full reasoning breakdown is shown below the grade — every factor, its weight, and whether it helped or hurt the score.

Pro subscribers see the carrier's full insurance policy records sourced directly from the FMCSA Licensing & Insurance database — insurer name, coverage amount, effective date, and any policies cancelled in the last 90 days.

FMCSA's Safety Measurement System scores carriers across 7 categories including Unsafe Driving, Hours of Service, and Vehicle Maintenance. Scores above the intervention threshold are flagged with an Alert badge.

Shows inspection counts and out-of-service rates for the past 24 months across driver, vehicle, and hazmat categories — compared to national averages. Crash history covers fatal, injury, and tow-away crashes over the same period.

Click Sign in in the top navigation. You can sign in with Google or receive a magic link by email — no password required.

On any carrier detail page, click Save to Watchlist. If you're not signed in yet, you'll be prompted to sign in and the carrier will be saved automatically when you return.

Pro subscribers receive email alerts when a watchlisted carrier has a change in:

• Authority status (granted, revoked, reinstated)
• Safety rating
• Out-of-service orders
• Contact email, phone, company officers, or mailing address — Ghost Carrier Detection Alerts

Alerts are sent from noreply@freightwatch.ai — add it to your safe senders list.