US Department of Transportation

aid: dot
name: US Department of Transportation
description: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) oversees federal transportation policy and operates multiple agencies
  that publish public REST APIs covering trucking and motor carrier safety (FMCSA), vehicle product information and safety
  recalls (NHTSA), aviation safety and airspace data (FAA), transit statistics, and transportation data portals. DOT APIs
  are free public government services requiring API key registration via Login.gov or the relevant agency developer portal.
type: Index
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/dot/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-06-13'
modified: '2026-06-13'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
tags:
- Government
- Transportation
- Trucking
- Aviation
- VehicleSafety
- Transit
- OpenData
apis:
- aid: dot:fmcsa-qcmobile-api
  name: FMCSA QCMobile API
  description: The FMCSA QCMobile API provides safety performance data for U.S. Department of Transportation registered motor
    carriers. Developers can query carrier registration information, licensing, insurance, operating authority, and BASIC
    safety scores by U.S. DOT number, MC docket number, or carrier name. All responses are returned in JSON format. Access
    requires a developer account and API webkey obtained through Login.gov.
  humanURL: https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/QCDevsite/docs/qcApi
  baseURL: https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/qc/services
  tags:
  - Trucking
  - Motor Carriers
  - Safety
  - FMCSA
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/QCDevsite/docs/qcApi
  - type: Authentication
    url: https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/QCDevsite/docs/apiAccess
- aid: dot:fmcsa-saferbus-api
  name: FMCSA SaferBus API
  description: The FMCSA SaferBus API is a RESTful service making available safety performance data for U.S. DOT-registered
    bus companies. It enables developers to build consumer-facing products that help travelers check the safety record of
    motorcoach operators before booking travel. Access requires a developer account and API webkey obtained through Login.gov.
  humanURL: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/application-programming-interface-data-behind-saferbus
  baseURL: https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/qc/services
  tags:
  - Bus Safety
  - Motorcoach
  - FMCSA
  - Consumer Safety
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/application-programming-interface-data-behind-saferbus
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://data.transportation.gov/Trucking-and-Motorcoaches/SaferBus-API-Documentation/edyh-n3ic
- aid: dot:nhtsa-vpic-api
  name: NHTSA vPIC Vehicle API
  description: The NHTSA Vehicle Product Information Catalog (vPIC) API provides programmatic access to vehicle make, model,
    manufacturer, and type data compiled by NHTSA. Key capabilities include VIN decoding (single and batch up to 50 VINs),
    World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) lookup, manufacturer details, vehicle variables, plant codes, and Canadian vehicle
    specifications. No authentication required; responses available in JSON, XML, or CSV.
  humanURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
  baseURL: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles
  tags:
  - Vehicle Safety
  - VIN
  - NHTSA
  - Recalls
  - Manufacturers
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/
- aid: dot:nhtsa-datasets-api
  name: NHTSA Datasets and APIs
  description: NHTSA provides public datasets and APIs covering vehicle safety complaints, recalls, safety ratings (NCAP),
    and defect investigations. Complaint data entered into NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database is searchable
    by make, model, and year, providing safety defect details, crash/fire/injury records, and recall campaign remedies.
  humanURL: https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa-datasets-and-apis
  baseURL: https://api.nhtsa.gov
  tags:
  - Vehicle Safety
  - Recalls
  - Complaints
  - NHTSA
  - Crash Data
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa-datasets-and-apis
- aid: dot:dot-data-portal
  name: DOT Open Data Portal
  description: The U.S. Department of Transportation Open Data Portal provides access to transportation datasets published
    by DOT agencies including FMCSA, NHTSA, FTA, BTS, FAA, PHMSA, and more. The portal supports REST API access to tabular
    datasets enabling programmatic retrieval, filtering, and export of transportation statistics.
  humanURL: https://data.transportation.gov/
  baseURL: https://data.transportation.gov/api
  tags:
  - OpenData
  - Transportation Statistics
  - Government
  - BTS
  properties:
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://data.transportation.gov/
common:
- type: Website
  url: https://www.transportation.gov/
- type: Documentation
  url: https://www.transportation.gov/developer
- type: GitHubOrg
  url: https://github.com/usdot-jpo-ode
- type: Blog
  url: https://www.transportation.gov/newsroom
- type: StatusPage
  url: https://www.transportation.gov/status
- type: X
  url: https://twitter.com/USDOT
- type: LinkedIn
  url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-department-of-transportation
- type: Plans
  url: plans/dot-plans-pricing.yml
- type: RateLimits
  url: rate-limits/dot-rate-limits.yml
- type: FinOps
  url: finops/dot-finops.yml
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com