New MC number leads: what they are, who uses them and how
Reviewed · Numbers are Rookiefeed analysis as of , updated daily
New MC number leads are trucking companies whose for-hire operating authority FMCSA just granted, joined with the owner's contact details, fleet size, equipment and insurance. About 237 carriers go active every business day. Factoring companies, truck insurance agents and dispatchers buy these leads because new carriers need cash flow, coverage and freight right away.
What a new MC lead is
An MC number is the docket FMCSA assigns to a for-hire carrier's operating authority. A carrier applies, files proof of liability insurance (BMC-91 or 91X) and a process agent designation (BOC-3), and FMCSA grants the authority once those are on record. The grant date is the moment the carrier can legally haul regulated freight for hire across state lines.
A lead is that grant plus what you need to reach the carrier: who owns it, how to contact them, what they run and who insures them. A grant alone tells you none of that, which is why a usable lead list has to be rebuilt every morning.
If you're not sure how MC and USDOT numbers differ, see MC number vs DOT number.
What a good row contains
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Legal name, MC and USDOT | Identifies the carrier and lets you check status yourself |
| Grant date and days from application | Shows how fresh the lead is and how long they waited |
| Owner or officer names | You ask for a person, not "the owner" |
| Phone, with cells flagged | Cells carry the strictest TCPA rules |
| On file for 99.8% of recent grants; often the best first contact | |
| Fleet size and equipment | Lets you skip trucks you don't serve |
| Insurer, BIPD coverage, effective date | Confirms the authority is live; insurance agents need it to quote |
| First-time or returning | Returning carriers more likely have a factor or agent already |
Who uses them and why
The pool is mostly small fleets: 67% of the carriers granted authority in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026 reported one power unit, and 97.9% were first-time authorities.
- Factoring companies: new carriers wait 30 days or more for broker payments while paying fuel weekly. See factoring for new authorities.
- Truck insurance agents: every new authority needs a liability policy on file before it can go active, and it comes up for renewal within a year. See insurance agents.
- Dispatchers: a new owner-operator often has no broker relationships yet. See dispatchers.
- Fuel cards, ELD and compliance vendors, and truck lenders also sell to new carriers.
How fresh they need to be
FMCSA moved registration to Motus on May 14, 2026 and retired the legacy L&I registration functions, so the old FMCSA Register and lists built on it stopped showing new grants. See the FMCSA new authority list after Motus.
Freshness matters because new carriers pick their factor, agent and dispatcher in the first weeks. But being first to call isn't the point. New carriers get a lot of calls; the call that gets answered is the one that knows who they are.
How to work new MC leads
Texas, California, Florida had the most new carriers in the last 30 days. Every state's numbers and top insurers (nationally: United Financial Casualty Company, GEICO Marine Insurance Company, Artisan & Truckers Casualty Company) are on the state pages and the stats page.
- Filter to the states you serve, the fleet sizes you want and first-time authorities.
- Open with a fact from the row: the equipment, the city, the insurer.
- Call by hand; don't autodial or text cells without written consent. See TCPA and DNC basics.
- Email the same day with your offer in writing. See how to email new trucking companies.
- Follow up over two or three weeks, and record every opt-out.
Common problems with new MC leads
- Stale lists. A list bought once is old within days, because the carriers on it have already heard from everyone else. Daily delivery is the only format that stays useful.
- Wrong event. Some "new carrier" lists are really new USDOT registrations, which include private fleets and companies that never get authority.
- Missing owner names. Without a name you're asking for "the owner", which sounds like every other cold call.
- Contact lag. A new carrier's registration details can trail the grant by a few days, so a small share of rows may arrive with thin contact details at first.
- Shared lists. Everyone selling to new carriers reaches the same carriers. What separates you is what you say, not the list itself.
Getting new MC leads every morning
Rookiefeed emails every carrier granted authority the day before, by 7am Central, as a CSV with every field in the table above. Rookiefeed is $59 a month for one state once a week, $149 for one state every day, $299 for up to 8 states and $599 for every state, and you can cancel any time.
Build a free list of 25 carriers in your states, or read what to look for in a lead list first.
Questions
- What are new MC number leads?
- They're trucking companies FMCSA just granted for-hire operating authority, delivered with the owner's name, phone, email, fleet size, equipment and insurance. Factoring companies, truck insurance agents and dispatchers use them to reach carriers in their first weeks, when they're choosing who to work with.
- How many new MC numbers are granted each day?
- In the 30 days ending October 19, 2026, FMCSA granted for-hire authority to 5,591 carriers, about 237 per business day. The count refreshes every morning on the Rookiefeed stats page.
- Are new MC leads the same as new DOT leads?
- No. A new USDOT number only means a company registered with FMCSA; it may be a private fleet or never haul for hire. A new MC lead is a for-hire carrier whose authority just went active, with insurance and a process agent on file, so it can haul for brokers now.
- Where did the FMCSA new MC list go?
- FMCSA retired the legacy L&I registration functions when it moved to Motus on May 14, 2026, so the old FMCSA Register stopped listing new grants. FMCSA still grants authority every business day, and daily lead lists like Rookiefeed's were rebuilt for Motus.
Every new carrier, by 7am
Owner name, phone, email, fleet, equipment and insurer for each carrier FMCSA authorized yesterday, as a CSV.