Fmcsa
FMCSA MCP — US motor-carrier (trucking/bus) registry & safety.
Install
Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).
claude mcp add --transport http fmcsa 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"fmcsa": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp"
}
}
}
Documentation
From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.
Contents
FMCSA — US Motor Carrier Registry & Safety
Look up any US trucking or bus company by USDOT number, MC/docket number, or name, and pull its safety record: safety rating, out-of-service rates vs national averages, crash counts, and operating authority (including broker status).
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1866+ live data sources. This is an independent, unofficial integration — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or published by the upstream provider.
Tools
| Tool | What it answers |
|---|---|
fmcsa_carrier_lookup | Who is this carrier? Legal/DBA name, address, status, fleet size, drivers, cargo types — by USDOT number, MC number, or name. |
fmcsa_search_carriers | Find carriers by name (partial match), ranked by fleet size, optional state filter. |
fmcsa_operating_authority | Is this carrier authorized to operate or broker freight? MC docket + common/contract/broker authority status. |
fmcsa_safety_snapshot | How safe is this carrier? Safety rating, driver/vehicle/hazmat out-of-service rates vs national averages, 24-month crash counts — plus SMS BASIC percentiles with a webKey. |
Auth
Every tool works keyless. fmcsa_safety_snapshot uses the public SAFER Company Snapshot by default; pass a free FMCSA QCMobile webKey via _apiKey to add SMS BASIC category percentiles (Unsafe Driving, HOS Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, ...). webKey signup (https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/QCDevsite/docs/apiAccess) requires a login.gov account.
Note: a carrier whose biennial MCS-150 update lapsed shows as record_inactive — FMCSA publishes no safety snapshot for inactive USDOT numbers. That's an upstream data gap, not an outage; fmcsa_carrier_lookup still returns the last filed census record.
Data sources
- FMCSA Motor Carrier Census — https://data.transportation.gov/resource/az4n-8mr2 (Socrata, keyless)
- FMCSA Operating Authority — https://data.transportation.gov/resource/6eyk-hxee (Socrata, keyless)
- FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot — https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/query.asp (keyless)
- FMCSA QCMobile API — https://mobile.fmcsa.dot.gov/qc/services (webKey, optional)
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"fmcsa": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp"
}
}
}
What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}
Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1866+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
No MCP client? Call it over HTTP
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/fmcsa_carrier_lookup \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"dot_number":"54283"}'
No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/fmcsa_carrier_lookup. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
Standalone (no gateway account)
This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:
{
"mcpServers": {
"fmcsa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-fmcsa"]
}
}
}
Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-fmcsa
It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call
for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway
connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Fmcsa data" })
The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
Frequently asked questions
What is Fmcsa?
FMCSA MCP — US motor-carrier (trucking/bus) registry & safety.
How do I install Fmcsa?
It runs as a remote server. In Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http fmcsa 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/fmcsa/mcp'. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.
Does Fmcsa need an API key?
Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.
Is Fmcsa open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Who maintains Fmcsa?
It is published by pipeworx-io. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.
From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.