# FMCSA Carrier Safety Scraper (`parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper`) Actor

Scrapes FMCSA carrier safety profiles by company name, DOT number, or MC number and returns each carrier as a flat row with operating authority, safety rating, insurance status, and fleet details.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Developer tools
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 130 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 2 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $6.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

[![ParseForge](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/main/banner-v4.webp)](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp)

### FMCSA Carrier Safety Scraper

**Scrape FMCSA carrier safety data by company name, DOT number, or MC number, up to a million per run.** Every record returns operating authority, insurance status, safety rating, out-of-service orders, and fleet details. No API key or registration. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The FMCSA SAFER website lets you look up one carrier at a time, but vetting hundreds of trucking companies or monitoring authority changes manually is slow and error-prone. This Actor reads the public carrier snapshots directly, searches by company name or specific DOT and MC numbers, and returns each match in a consistent, flat schema. It is built for freight brokers, insurance underwriters, and logistics teams who need bulk safety data without writing a single line of code.

| Who uses it | What they scrape FMCSA for |
|---|---|
| Freight brokers | Verify a carrier's operating authority and insurance status before tendering a load. |
| Insurance underwriters | Pull safety ratings and out-of-service histories to price commercial auto policies. |
| Logistics analysts | Monitor fleet sizes and authority revocations across a portfolio of carriers. |
| Compliance officers | Audit carrier safety records against internal onboarding requirements in bulk. |

### What it does

This Actor collects FMCSA carrier safety profiles by company name, DOT number, or MC number and returns each carrier as a flat row with operating authority, safety rating, insurance status, and fleet details.

- 🔍 **Company name search:** Type a name like 'swift transportation' and get every matching carrier with its full safety snapshot.
- 🎯 **Direct DOT lookup:** Paste a list of USDOT numbers and pull their current profiles in one run, no manual typing.
- 📋 **MC/MX number lookup:** Feed it MC or MX numbers to retrieve the same detailed record, ideal for cross-referencing authority filings.
- 📊 **Flat row output:** Every carrier lands as one row with operating authority, safety rating, insurance status, out-of-service orders, and fleet counts, ready for spreadsheets or databases.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

### What you can do with FMCSA data

**🚛 Vet carriers before booking.**

A freight broker pastes a list of DOT numbers from a load board and runs the Actor to confirm each carrier's authority is active and insurance is on file before dispatching.

**📉 Monitor authority revocations.**

A compliance team runs a weekly company name search for their approved carrier list and flags any carrier whose operating authority status changed to revoked or inactive.

**📋 Build a prospect list for insurance.**

An insurance agency searches for trucking companies by name in a target state, collects fleet size and safety ratings, and prioritizes carriers with clean records for outreach.

**🔎 Cross-reference MC numbers.**

A logistics analyst receives a spreadsheet of MC numbers from a partner and runs them through the Actor to pull the corresponding USDOT numbers and current insurance filings.

### Why choose this scraper

|  | What you get |
|---|---|
| **Bulk lookups** | Pull hundreds of carrier profiles in one run instead of searching the SAFER website one by one. |
| **No API key** | Reads the public FMCSA data directly, no registration, OAuth, or rate-limit headaches. |
| **Fixed schema** | Every run returns the same fields, so your downstream reports and automations never break. |
| **Multi-ID input** | Search by company name, DOT number, or MC number in the same Actor, no switching tools. |

### How it compares

This Actor focuses on bulk lookups of current FMCSA safety snapshots by company name, DOT number, and MC number, while the competitors below target new-carrier feeds, Google-enriched profiles, or single-ID risk flags.

| Feature | ParseForge | FMCSA New Carrier Feed | FMCSA Trucking API | FMCSA Carrier Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company name search | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
| DOT number lookup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MC/MX number lookup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed |
| Bulk input (multiple DOTs per run) | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Operating authority status | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Yes |
| Insurance status | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Yes |
| Safety rating | Yes | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |

### Configure the run

Drive the Actor from company name searches, DOT number lists, and MC number lists, alone or together, and set a maximum carrier count so only the records you need reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

```json
{
  "companyName": "swift transportation",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

A larger pull:

```json
{
  "companyName": "swift transportation",
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Pricing

Pay-per-result: **$0.0065 per result** collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.65 |
| 1,000 results | $6.50 |
| 10,000 results | $65.00 |

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

### Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. [Upgrade your Apify plan](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp) to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

### Run it

1. [Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).
2. Open the [FMCSA Carrier Safety Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper?fpr=vmoqkp).
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click **Start**.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the **Dataset** tab.

Run it programmatically through the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) (`run-sync-get-dataset-items`) or the [ApifyClient](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js) for JavaScript and Python.

### Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to FMCSA through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper"
```

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

### Troubleshooting

**Why am I getting no results for my company name search?**

Try a shorter or more general search term. The FMCSA search is exact-match sensitive, so 'swift' may return more carriers than 'swift transportation llc'. Also check that you have not set 'Maximum carriers' to 0.

**The Actor is returning fewer carriers than I expected.**

The FMCSA website paginates results, and the Actor respects the 'Maximum carriers' limit you set. Increase that number if you want more records. If the search itself returns few matches, broaden your company name term.

**Some DOT numbers in my list are being skipped.**

Check that the DOT numbers are valid and active on the FMCSA SAFER site. The Actor skips numbers that return no profile or an error page, and it logs each skip so you can review them.

**The run takes a long time with a large DOT number list.**

Each DOT number requires a separate page request. For large lists, consider splitting them across multiple runs or using the company name search when you need broad coverage instead of specific IDs.

**I am getting an error about the input schema.**

Make sure you provide at least one input: a company name, a DOT number list, or an MC number list. The Actor needs at least one search method to start.

### FAQ

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What data does this Actor return for each carrier? | It returns the carrier's legal name, operating authority status, safety rating, insurance status, out-of-service orders, fleet size (power units and drivers), and identifiers like USDOT and MC numbers. The exact field list is shown in the sample output on this page. |
| Can I search by company name and DOT number in the same run? | Yes. You can fill in the company name field and also provide a list of DOT numbers or MC numbers. The Actor processes all inputs and deduplicates carriers where the same entity appears from multiple search methods. |
| How many carriers can I scrape in one run? | You set the maximum with the 'Maximum carriers' field, up to 1,000,000 per run. The Actor stops when it hits that number or when there are no more matching carriers. |
| Does this Actor require an FMCSA API key? | No. It reads the public FMCSA SAFER website directly, so there is no API key, no registration, and no rate-limit negotiation. |
| What is the difference between a DOT number and an MC number? | A USDOT number identifies a carrier for safety tracking across all operations. An MC number (or MX number for Mexico-domiciled carriers) grants operating authority for interstate for-hire transportation. This Actor can look up carriers by either identifier. |
| Can I export the results to Excel? | Yes. Apify supports exporting your dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML directly from the run console. |
| Does this Actor get historical safety data or only current snapshots? | It returns the current snapshot as shown on the FMCSA SAFER site at the moment of the run. It does not retrieve historical ratings or past inspection records. |
| Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically? | Yes. Apify's scheduler lets you set this Actor to run hourly, daily, or weekly so you always have fresh carrier data without manual intervention. |
| What happens if I enter a DOT number that does not exist? | The Actor skips invalid or nonexistent DOT numbers and continues processing the rest of your list. It will not fail the entire run for one bad input. |
| Is this Actor suitable for monitoring carrier insurance filings? | Yes. The output includes insurance status and policy details as they appear on the FMCSA site, so you can track whether a carrier's coverage is active. |

### Related actors

Browse the full [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge?fpr=vmoqkp) for more scrapers.

🆘 **Need help?** Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ **Disclaimer.** This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.

# Actor input Schema

## `companyName` (type: `string`):

Search carriers by name (e.g., 'swift transportation', 'fedex'). Returns matching carriers with full safety data.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many carriers to collect per run.

## `dotNumbers` (type: `array`):

Look up specific carriers by USDOT number. Provide one or more DOT numbers.

## `mcNumbers` (type: `array`):

Look up specific carriers by MC/MX number.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "companyName": "swift transportation",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `overview` (type: `string`):

Overview of scraped data

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "companyName": "swift transportation",
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "companyName": "swift transportation",
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "companyName": "swift transportation",
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,parseforge/fmcsa-carrier-safety-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/b8JtsWXgpKbzH0hN8/builds/m3SZEwHNqZaQTpuKq/openapi.json