Carriers based in New York
Active motor carriers whose physical address, as registered with FMCSA, is in New York. The census records each one as operating in interstate commerce or only within its state.
- active interstate carriers
- 19,467
- of those, authorized for hire
- 10,185
- active intrastate carriers
- 106,344
- carriers granted for-hire property authority, 2026-07-14 to 2026-10-11
- 165
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.
1,806 new USDOT numbers were registered to active carriers in New York in the same 90 days (730 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 New York, 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 | 8,780 | 45% | |
| 2 to 5 | 6,591 | 34% | |
| 6 to 10 | 1,702 | 9% | |
| 11 to 50 | 1,446 | 7% | |
| 51 to 100 | 190 | under 1% | |
| 101 or more | 164 | under 1% | |
| None recorded | 594 | 3% | |
| All interstate | 19,467 | 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 New York, 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
New York's own rules for carriers inside the state
New York has adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations in 49 CFR Parts 390, 391, 392, 393, 395, 396 and 397, with exceptions for vehicles run only inside the state set out in 17 NYCRR Part 820, and NYSDOT says a USDOT number must be displayed whether a carrier operates wholly within New York or across state lines. NYSDOT is responsible for the licensing, safety and insurance of for-hire motor carriers operating within the state, and a for-hire carrier's liability insurance is proved by a Form E that the insurance company itself sends to the department. Household goods movers, governed by Transportation Law sections 190 through 199 and 17 NYCRR Part 814, apply through the Carrier Certification System, and NYSDOT's Movers Guide sets their minimums: $100,000 for injury or death to one person, $300,000 for all persons in one accident, and $50,000 for property damage excluding cargo, plus cargo insurance on Form H of $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 aggregate at any one time and place. Separately, the Tax Department requires a highway use tax certificate of registration and decal for any truck, tractor or other self-propelled vehicle with a gross weight over 18,000 pounds before it runs on New York's public highways.
Source: NYSDOT (Movers Guide, Registration & Licensing, Rules & Regulations); NYS Department of Taxation and Finance (highway use tax), 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 New York
Whoever you speak to, look them up on the New York Department of Financial Services'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 New York license has been checked on the state's own records.
How to check an insurance agent's license in New York, including DFS'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 New York were granted new trucking authority in the last 90 days?
165 carriers whose physical address in the FMCSA census is in New York 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 New York?
19,467 active interstate carriers list a physical address in New York, of which 10,185 are authorized for hire. Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2, fetched 2026-10-12.