Carriers based in California
Active motor carriers whose physical address, as registered with FMCSA, is in California. The census records each one as operating in interstate commerce or only within its state.
- active interstate carriers
- 63,507
- of those, authorized for hire
- 59,205
- active intrastate carriers
- 254,135
- carriers granted for-hire property authority, 2026-07-14 to 2026-10-11
- 1,551
Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2 and Motus AuthHist (All With History) yu5v-wbh6, fetched 2026-10-12. Carriers are active census entities registered as carriers, counted by physical state. The authority figure counts carriers, once each by USDOT number, that were granted for-hire property authority (except household goods) in the Motus history, matched to the census.
4,503 new USDOT numbers were registered to active carriers in California in the same 90 days (2,188 interstate). A USDOT number is not an operating authority: the date is when the number was issued, and many never haul for hire.
Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2, add_date, fetched 2026-10-12.
Interstate carriers by fleet size
Active interstate carriers in California, by the number of power units on their census record, and each band's share of all of them.
| Power units | Carriers | Share | Share, drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39,812 | 63% | |
| 2 to 5 | 15,753 | 25% | |
| 6 to 10 | 3,072 | 5% | |
| 11 to 50 | 3,114 | 5% | |
| 51 to 100 | 443 | under 1% | |
| 101 or more | 324 | under 1% | |
| None recorded | 989 | 2% | |
| All interstate | 63,507 | 100% |
Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2, fetched 2026-10-12. "None recorded" is a record with no power units, or none entered. Shares are of all active interstate carriers in California, rounded to the nearest whole percent, and the bars are drawn to the same scale.
Federal minimum liability
The federal rules set the least public liability a motor carrier must have. Each row gives the regulation's amount and its own description of what the row covers; they are a floor set by law, not a view on what any carrier should buy.
$750,000
Property (nonhazardous)
For-hire, interstate or foreign commerce, 10,001 lb GVWR or more. 49 CFR 387.9
$1,000,000
Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101; hazardous waste, hazardous materials and hazardous substances defined in 49 CFR 171.8 and listed in 49 CFR 172.101, but not mentioned in the $5,000,000 rows
For-hire and private, interstate or foreign commerce in any quantity, or intrastate in bulk, 10,001 lb GVWR or more. 49 CFR 387.9
$5,000,000
Hazardous substances, as defined in 49 CFR 171.8, in cargo tanks, portable tanks or hopper-type vehicles with capacities over 3,500 water gallons; or in bulk Division 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 materials, Division 2.3 Hazard Zone A or Division 6.1 Packing Group I Hazard Zone A material; in bulk Division 2.1 or 2.2; or highway route controlled quantities of a Class 7 material, as defined in 49 CFR 173.403
For-hire and private, interstate, foreign or intrastate commerce, 10,001 lb GVWR or more. 49 CFR 387.9
$5,000,000
Any quantity of Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 material; any quantity of a Division 2.3 Hazard Zone A or Division 6.1 Packing Group I Hazard Zone A material; or highway route controlled quantities of a Class 7 material, as defined in 49 CFR 173.403
For-hire and private, interstate or foreign commerce, under 10,001 lb GVWR. 49 CFR 387.9
$300,000
Property (non-hazardous)
For-hire carrier with FMCSA authority, fleet of vehicles all under 10,001 lb GVWR. 49 CFR 387.303
California carriers: a CA number from CHP and a DMV Motor Carrier Permit
California runs its own two-step registration for carriers of property, including carriers that never cross the state line. Vehicle Code §34507.5 requires a motor carrier of property to obtain a California carrier identification number (CA#) from the California Highway Patrol, after first obtaining a USDOT number and listing it on the application. Vehicle Code §34620 then bars a motor carrier of property from operating a commercial motor vehicle on a California public highway unless it has registered that CA# with DMV and holds a valid Motor Carrier Permit (MCP). DMV says anyone paid to transport property needs an MCP regardless of vehicle size, type or weight, as does, generally, anyone operating a commercial vehicle of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more. Proof of insurance goes to DMV on a Certificate of Insurance (MC 65 M). Under Vehicle Code §34631.5 the minimum combined single limit is $750,000 for most carriers of property and $300,000 for carriers that operate only vehicles under 10,000 pounds GVWR and haul no bulk petroleum or hazardous materials; hazardous materials carriers need $1,000,000 or $5,000,000, and intrastate bulk petroleum haulers a $1,200,000 combined single limit or the equivalent split limits. When the insurance certificate is cancelled, the MCP stands suspended immediately.
Source: California DMV (Motor Carrier Permits) and Vehicle Code §§34507.5, 34620, 34631.5, checked 2026-09-26 (AI-assisted research checked against the cited source; approved for publication by the site operator on 2026-09-28).
Check the agent's license in California
Whoever you speak to, look them up on the California Department of Insurance's own search by name or NPN, and read the lines of authority and the expiration date. InsuranceAgentPick only puts an agent on a list once their California license has been checked on the state's own records.
How to check an insurance agent's license in California, including CDI's own search.
Questions
What is the federal minimum liability for general freight?
$750,000 for a for-hire carrier hauling nonhazardous property in interstate or foreign commerce with vehicles of 10,001 lb GVWR or more, under 49 CFR 387.9. Source: eCFR, 49 CFR 387.9, read 2026-09-26.
How many carriers in California were granted new trucking authority in the last 90 days?
1,551 carriers whose physical address in the FMCSA census is in California were granted for-hire property authority (except household goods) between 2026-07-14 and 2026-10-11, each counted once however many grants it had. Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2 and Motus AuthHist (All With History) yu5v-wbh6, fetched 2026-10-12.
How many interstate motor carriers are based in California?
63,507 active interstate carriers list a physical address in California, of which 59,205 are authorized for hire. Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2, fetched 2026-10-12.