TruckAccidentLawyer.wikiTruck Crash Reference

Motor carrier identification in crash records

From TruckAccidentLawyer.wiki, a sourced reference on large-truck crashes

Motor carrier identification in crash records describes the authority that issued a vehicle's carrier identification number and the number itself, when applicable. The national illustration here uses FARS records of large trucks, grouped by issuing authority rather than by company. In 2024, the selected records included 3,185 trucks with a U.S. DOT issuing authority and 1,013 trucks with no motor carrier identification number (None). These are vehicle counts, not numbers of crashes or deaths, and the 2024 figures use the FARS Annual Report File.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Contents

Official definition

The FARS Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 identifies this element as V23, Motor Carrier Identification Number (MCID). Its official definition concerns the issuing authority and carrier identification number applicable to the vehicle. MCID contains an 11-character combination: a two-digit authority code and a nine-character identification number. Authorities may include a state, the U.S. DOT, MC/MX (ICC), Canada or Mexico; None indicates that no number applies. The manual describes the number as appearing only on vehicles of interstate for-hire or private carriers engaged in the transportation business.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures

The operational selection uses MCARR_I1 issuing authority code 57 (U.S. DOT) and 88 (None) for large trucks. Other authority codes are omitted. The figures cover the United States, including the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2020, the counts were 2,918 trucks with a U.S. DOT issuing authority and 805 trucks with no motor carrier identification number (None). The table's national illustration supplies neither a population denominator nor a population rate, and it does not describe all truck crashes.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures[1][2][3][4][5]
YearLarge trucks with a U.S. DOT issuing authorityLarge trucks with no motor carrier identification number (None)
20202,918805
20213,4831,090
20223,6131,011
20233,420993
20243,1851,013

United States, 50 states and the District of Columbia. Large trucks (vehicle counts) by MCARR_I1 issuing authority code 57 (U.S. DOT) and 88 (None); other authority codes are not shown. 2024 is the FARS Annual Report File.

What the term does not tell you

The element's applicability extends beyond the large trucks selected for this table. It includes medium and heavy trucks, buses with 16 or more seats, trucks and vans carrying hazardous cargo, and light commercial trucks pulling a trailer with GCWR over 10,000 pounds. That broader definition must be kept separate from the illustrated vehicle selection. A None record does not necessarily identify a non-commercial vehicle, because coding also depends on the crash report's contents. Issuing authority does not establish driver or carrier fault, and these figures neither identify nor name individual trucking companies.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

On related publications

References

  1. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  2. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  3. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  4. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  5. abcde "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  6. abcd "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  7. abcd "Large trucks: 2024 data (DOT HS 813 816, June 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  8. abcd "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record