Trucking in Ohio: FMCSA Counts & License Check

Carriers based in Ohio

Active motor carriers whose physical address, as registered with FMCSA, is in Ohio. The census records each one as operating in interstate commerce or only within its state.

active interstate carriers: 26,234
of those, authorized for hire: 20,518
active intrastate carriers: 22,297
carriers granted for-hire property authority, 2026-07-14 to 2026-10-11: 702

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.

1,475 new USDOT numbers were registered to active carriers in Ohio in the same 90 days (1,092 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 Ohio, by the number of power units on their census record, and each band's share of all of them.

Interstate carriers in Ohio by power units, with each band's share
Power units	Carriers	Share
1	11,662	44%
2 to 5	8,427	32%
6 to 10	2,228	8%
11 to 50	2,420	9%
51 to 100	423	2%
101 or more	332	1%
None recorded	742	3%
All interstate	26,234	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 Ohio, 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

Source: eCFR, 49 CFR 387.9 (Schedule of Limits, Public Liability) and 387.303(b)(1), read 2026-09-26. Section 387.301 is where a for-hire carrier's filing with FMCSA is required, in the amounts in 387.303. Read the full schedule on eCFR for the exact commodity lists.

Ohio intrastate carriers: the PUCO certificate (CPCN)

A for-hire motor carrier may not operate in intrastate commerce in Ohio without a current certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), under Ohio Revised Code 4921.03. PUCO tells a new carrier to get an intrastate USDOT number from FMCSA first, then apply for the CPCN through its online registration system; mailed or emailed applications are not accepted. The insurer files proof of insurance electronically, a Form E, or Forms E and H for a household goods mover, and it must be issued by a company authorized by the Ohio Department of Insurance (Ohio Adm. Code 4901:2-13-04 and 4901:2-13-05). Ohio Adm. Code 4901:2-13-03 sets public liability of $750,000 for intrastate for-hire property carriers, or $300,000 if every vehicle is under 10,001 pounds GVWR or GCWR; $1,000,000 for oil and hazardous materials not on the rule's high-hazard list; and $5,000,000 for the listed high-hazard loads. Household goods movers have their own liability and cargo minimums; PUCO lists them on its household goods pages. If the insurance is cancelled or lapses, all operations under the CPCN must stop until a replacement is filed (ORC 4921.09(D)). The CPCN is renewed each year between May 1 and June 30; carriers in the UCR program, other than household goods movers, do not renew it annually.

Source: PUCO (puco.ohio.gov); Ohio Revised Code 4921.03, 4921.09 and Ohio Adm. Code 4901:2-13-03 to -05 (codes.ohio.gov), 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 Ohio

Whoever you speak to, look them up on the Ohio 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 Ohio license has been checked on the state's own records.

How to check an insurance agent's license in Ohio, including ODI'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 Ohio were granted new trucking authority in the last 90 days?

702 carriers whose physical address in the FMCSA census is in Ohio 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 Ohio?

26,234 active interstate carriers list a physical address in Ohio, of which 20,518 are authorized for hire. Source: FMCSA Company Census az4n-8mr2, fetched 2026-10-12.