How to get a copy of your MC authority letter (2026)

Published September 14, 2026 · Updated September 15, 2026

Brokers, insurers, and factors still ask for your MC authority letter — the certificate that proves your interstate operating authority. You need a readable copy, fast. Here's what works in 2026.

What an MC authority letter is

Your MC letter (certificate of authority) is what FMCSA issued when it granted motor carrier, broker, or freight-forwarder operating authority. It's not your USDOT number. Carriers use it as proof of authority when onboarding with brokers and lenders.

Motus changed registration — and where you look

Motus is where current registration and live authority status live now.

Licensing & Insurance (L&I) is historic for this purpose. It mainly reflects information from before Motus launched. Don't use it to check current authority.

SAFER is still live. Its Company Snapshot still shows Operating Authority Status and still accepts MC numbers, but it can lag Motus during the transition, so treat Motus as the current record and SAFER as a secondary check. Neither gives you the letter PDF.

Motus still doesn't have a simple "download my historical MC letter" button. Status and the PDF certificate are different problems.

Path A: FMCSA Daily Decisions (free, if you know roughly when)

FMCSA's Daily Registration Decisions page publishes the register of decisions issued each day. FMCSA states the earliest searchable date is September 27, 2022 and that one search can span at most 8 calendar days: Daily FMCSA Registration Decisions.

This works if: (1) your letter was issued on or after September 27, 2022, (2) you know the grant date or at least the week, since you can walk 8-day windows, and (3) you open the right day's register and find the certificate.

If any of those are missing — no idea when it was granted, a grant before September 27, 2022, or you need the PDF in the next two minutes — Daily Decisions will waste your time.

Path B: GetMyMCLetter

GetMyMCLetter is a third-party archive run by Don Norman Associates. Search by MC number, pay, download when it's in the archive.

Best when you don't know the issue date, the grant predates September 27, 2022, Daily Decisions doesn't surface a usable file, a broker/insurer/factor needs the certificate now, or you need a reinstatement or related authority document.

If search comes up empty, Don Norman Associates can help with vault or manual retrieval.

Quick decision guide

Know roughly when it was granted, on or after September 27, 2022 → Daily Decisions
Don't know when, grant before September 27, 2022, or you need it now → GetMyMCLetter
Brand-new grant and you own the Motus account → FMCSA has said the certificate goes out both as a physical copy in the mail and as an email to the account owner, and letter search inside Motus is still a future release. Carriers tell us neither the mailed copy nor the email is arriving, so if yours never showed up, call (202) 293-0563 and we will research it with FMCSA.
"Is this MC active today?" (not a PDF) → Motus, the current record. SAFER still shows the status field but can lag.
Help beyond a letter → Don Norman Associates / your compliance provider

Search your MC number on GetMyMCLetter when Daily Decisions isn't the right path.

Private service operated by Don Norman Associates

Get My MC Letter is a private service operated by Don Norman Associates. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by FMCSA or the U.S. government. Most of these documents are not available directly from FMCSA; its free Daily Decisions register only covers decisions from September 27, 2022 onward, and finding one there requires knowing roughly when it was issued. Your payment is for our search, retrieval, and digital delivery of motor carrier documents sourced from public records—not for a government filing, fee, approval, or endorsement.

Mailing address only: 1319 F St NW Ste 301, PMB 491, Washington, DC 20004
get-my-mc-letter@donnormanassociates.com
(202) 293-0563