# Fmcsa [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🚆 Travel & Transportation  
**Repository:** https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-fmcsa  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/fmcsa

## Description
US motor-carrier registry: DOT/MC/name lookup, operating authority, safety — keyless

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **fmcsa_carrier_lookup** — Who is this carrier? Legal/DBA name, address, status, fleet size, drivers, cargo types — by USDOT number, MC number, or name.
- **fmcsa_search_carriers** — Find carriers by name (partial match), ranked by fleet size, optional state filter.
- **fmcsa_operating_authority** — Is this carrier authorized to operate or broker freight? MC docket + common/contract/broker authority status.
- **fmcsa_safety_snapshot** — How safe is this carrier? Safety rating, driver/vehicle/hazmat out-of-service rates vs national averages, 24-month crash counts — plus SMS BASIC percentiles with a webKey.

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "fmcsa": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@pipeworx/mcp-fmcsa"]
  }
}
```

## Documentation

## What Fmcsa MCP server does

The Fmcsa MCP server exposes US motor-carrier registry and safety information through MCP tools. It can identify a carrier from a USDOT number, MC number, or name; search for carriers using a partial name; report operating authority; and return a safety snapshot.

Results can include legal and DBA names, addresses, operating status, fleet and driver counts, cargo types, authority classifications, safety ratings, out-of-service rates, national comparisons, and crash counts covering the previous 24 months. Search results are ranked by fleet size and can be narrowed by state.

## How it works

The Fmcsa MCP server reads from FMCSA Motor Carrier Census and Operating Authority datasets, the SAFER Company Snapshot, and, when requested, the FMCSA QCMobile API. The census, authority, and SAFER sources work without credentials. SMS BASIC category percentiles require a free QCMobile webKey supplied as the `_apiKey` argument to the safety tool.

The hosted MCP endpoint is available at `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp`. A connection to that endpoint includes the four FMCSA tools and shared Pipeworx meta-tools. The gateway's `ask_pipeworx` tool can route a natural-language question to tools across the broader Pipeworx catalog. A local installation exposes only the FMCSA pack tools and does not include those gateway meta-tools.

The tools can also be called over HTTP. For example, a POST request to `/v1/tools/fmcsa_carrier_lookup` can submit a `dot_number` and return the matching carrier record.

## Setup and configuration

To use the Fmcsa MCP server with a hosted MCP-capable client, add the Pipeworx endpoint as an MCP server. The package can instead be launched locally with `npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-fmcsa`, using stdin and stdout for MCP messages. This local mode does not require a Pipeworx account or gateway round trip.

No environment variables are required by the documented setup. The standard FMCSA tools are keyless. To add SMS BASIC percentiles, obtain a QCMobile webKey through FMCSA's API access process, which requires a login.gov account, and pass it to `fmcsa_safety_snapshot` as `_apiKey`.

## Tools and capabilities

The Fmcsa MCP server provides these focused operations:

- `fmcsa_carrier_lookup`: retrieves carrier identity and census details using a USDOT number, MC number, or name.
- `fmcsa_search_carriers`: finds partial name matches, ranks them by fleet size, and optionally filters by state.
- `fmcsa_operating_authority`: reports MC docket information and common, contract, and broker authority status.
- `fmcsa_safety_snapshot`: returns safety ratings, driver, vehicle, and hazmat out-of-service rates compared with national averages, 24-month crash counts, and optional SMS BASIC percentiles.

## Limitations and notes

The Fmcsa MCP server depends on upstream FMCSA records. If a carrier's biennial MCS-150 update has expired, the result may show `record_inactive`. FMCSA does not publish a safety snapshot for inactive USDOT numbers, although the carrier lookup can still return the last filed census record. This condition represents missing upstream safety data rather than a service outage.

The hosted pack endpoint lists shared Pipeworx tools in addition to the FMCSA tools, so its tool count is larger than the four operations documented here. The local stdio package lists only the pack's own tools. The project is licensed under MIT.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/fmcsa/readme_