CarrierScrub Lookup API
The Lookup API from CarrierScrub — 1 operation(s) for lookup.
Work with this as data
Every API here is available over the APIs.io API and to AI agents over MCP.
MCP server
One button, every client — Claude, Cursor, VS Code and the rest.
https://apis.io/mcp
Tools for apis
7 MCP tools reach this
find_apisBrowse and filter every API in the catalog.get_api_artifactsOne API's artifacts, grouped by type.get_openapiThe primary OpenAPI for this API.find_similar_apisAPIs that look like this one.apis_io_searchSTART HERE — APIs, providers and tags for one query, each with its total.resolveTurn a domain, URL or GitHub org into the provider it belongs to.find_cohortsEvery scored population of providers in the catalog.
Call it yourself
curl for this page
This API
curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/apis/carrierscrub-com:carrierscrub-com-lookup-api"
All apis
curl "https://apis.io/api/v1/apis?limit=25"Calls without X-API-Key need no key. Calls with it need a paid plan — get a key.
Get an API key
Free tier, no form to fill in. Signing in shares your email address with us — we store it to create your key and to recognise you if you sign in with another provider. See our Privacy Policy and Terms.
A second provider on the same verified email joins the account you already have.
OpenAPI Specification
openapi: 3.2.0
info:
title: CarrierScrub Lookup API
version: 1.0.0
summary: Check a US motor carrier's FMCSA record before a broker tenders a load.
description: 'Each check returns a GO, CAUTION or STOP verdict with dated reason codes. Every reason states a fact FMCSA published and its date; none is a conclusion about the company. Every result names the FMCSA record it used (record_source) and that record''s date (record_as_of); the legacy record has been frozen since 2026-05-14. API keys work on every plan: on Pay-as-you-go and Small Brokerage each lookup uses one of the brokerage''s 25 free lookups that month, then a $1.00 credit, and on Agency lookups are unlimited. How to get a key is in https://carrierscrub.com/auth.md. AI assistants can use the same checks through the MCP server at https://carrierscrub.com/mcp.'
contact:
email: support@carrierscrub.com
url: https://carrierscrub.com/contact
termsOfService: https://carrierscrub.com/terms
servers:
- url: https://carrierscrub.com
security:
- apiKey: []
tags:
- name: Lookup
paths:
/v1/lookup:
get:
operationId: lookupCarrier
summary: Check one carrier by USDOT or MC number
description: 'Counts once toward the brokerage''s daily API request limit (shared with the MCP server): 100 a day, or 1,000 on the Agency plan, resetting at 00:00 UTC. On Pay-as-you-go and Small Brokerage it uses one of the brokerage''s free monthly lookups, then a credit; a carrier the brokerage already checked today is not charged again. Appears in the brokerage''s audit log under the key''s name.'
parameters:
- name: q
in: query
required: true
description: A USDOT number ("USDOT 8893375", "DOT 8893375" or "8893375") or an MC number ("MC 123456"). Bare digits are read as a USDOT number.
schema:
type: string
minLength: 1
maxLength: 120
example: USDOT 8893375
- name: load
in: query
required: false
description: 'Optional load number, recorded with the check in the brokerage''s lookup history and vetting file. Letters, digits, spaces and # . _ / - only; at most 40 characters.'
schema:
type: string
maxLength: 40
responses:
'200':
description: The carrier's verdict.
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/Verdict'
'400':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
'401':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
'402':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
'404':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
'429':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
'503':
$ref: '#/components/responses/Error'
tags:
- Lookup
components:
responses:
Error:
description: 'The check was not completed. 401: no key, or the key is invalid, expired or revoked. 402 (code payg_credits_exhausted): the brokerage has used its free lookups this month and has no credits left; the hint says where to buy them. 404: no carrier for that number. 413: the file is too large. 429: daily limit reached. 503: FMCSA could not be reached and no dated record is on file.'
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
required:
- error
properties:
error:
type: string
hint:
type: string
schemas:
Verdict:
type: object
required:
- dot_number
- verdict
- reasons
- data_as_of
- record_source
- record_as_of
properties:
dot_number:
type: string
legal_name:
type:
- string
- 'null'
location:
type:
- string
- 'null'
verdict:
type: string
enum:
- GO
- CAUTION
- STOP
reasons:
type: array
items:
type: object
required:
- code
- detail
properties:
code:
type: string
description: A reason code, e.g. OUT_OF_SERVICE_ORDER.
detail:
type: string
description: Plain-language statement of the dated FMCSA fact.
days_until_suspension:
type:
- integer
- 'null'
description: Days until an already-served revocation takes effect, when dated.
data_as_of:
type: string
description: When CarrierScrub read this record.
record_source:
type: string
enum:
- motus
- legacy
description: Which FMCSA record the verdict rests on.
record_as_of:
type: string
format: date
description: That record's date. A legacy record is as of 2026-05-14 at the latest.
freshness:
type: object
description: 'How current this answer is. Check it before relying on a GO: a stored answer is CarrierScrub''s saved record, with FMCSA''s out-of-service orders and current authority, insurance and suspension notices re-checked on their own (see reasons).'
properties:
source:
type: string
enum:
- live
- stored
description: 'live: read from FMCSA for this request. stored: a saved answer.'
stale:
type: boolean
description: 'Part of the answer is not current: a stored answer more than 24 hours old, or the safety record could not be read.'
live_check_failed:
type: boolean
description: A live check was tried and FMCSA did not answer, so this is the stored answer.
safety:
type:
- object
- 'null'
description: FMCSA safety rating with its date, 24-month roadside inspection and out-of-service counts, crash counts, and any acute or critical investigation finding, dated to the SMS snapshot (as_of). Most carriers have never been rated; that is not a finding.
authority_granted_on:
type:
- string
- 'null'
format: date
authority_reinstated_on:
type:
- string
- 'null'
format: date
record_changes:
type:
- object
- 'null'
description: What changed on the carrier's FMCSA record and the day CarrierScrub's daily archive saw it, newest first. A fact beside the verdict, never a reason. null until the archive has a complete baseline; an empty events list means none seen since `since`. A phone is shown by its last four digits, an email by its domain, an address by its city and state. `control_notice` may also be set; see below.
properties:
since:
type: string
format: date
events:
type: array
items:
type: object
required:
- seen
- source
- text
properties:
seen:
type: string
format: date
source:
type: string
enum:
- census
- motus
text:
type: string
filed:
type:
- string
- 'null'
format: date
description: The MCS-150 filing that came with a census change.
control_notice:
type:
- object
- 'null'
description: 'Set when an established carrier (registered with FMCSA three or more years) had its company officers and a phone, email or address change within a week of each other, in the last 30 days. A notice to confirm who you are dealing with: never a reason code, and it does not change the verdict. Most carriers it appears on have done nothing wrong; a sale or a retirement looks the same on FMCSA''s record. null when there is none.'
properties:
seen:
type: string
format: date
text:
type: string
required:
- seen
- text
securitySchemes:
apiKey:
type: http
scheme: bearer
description: 'Authorization: Bearer cs_live_... An owner or admin of the brokerage, on any plan, creates keys in Admin, then API keys. A key that goes unused for 60 days stops working.'
externalDocs:
description: Getting access
url: https://carrierscrub.com/auth.md