How to File a Complaint Against a Trucking Company With the FMCSA

To file a complaint against a trucking company, use the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s National Consumer Complaint Database at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov, or call 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday.¹ Before you start, gather the carrier’s name and USDOT number, the date and location of the incident, and any evidence you have. If the complaint involves a serious safety violation, you have 90 days from the event to file in writing.²

What the FMCSA Will Take a Complaint About

The NCCDB accepts complaints against truck companies, moving companies, brokers, bus companies, hazardous material shippers, cargo tank facilities, and other participants in the commercial trucking industry.³ The complaints themselves fall into a few groups.

Safety complaints cover reckless or distracted driving, speeding, poorly maintained vehicles, hours-of-service violations, and mishandled hazardous cargo. Motor carriers can be liable for hours-of-service violations even when they didn’t have actual knowledge of them, as long as they had the means to detect the violation.⁴

Service complaints cover damaged shipments, late deliveries, and unprofessional conduct. Household goods movers generate their own set: hostage loads where the mover refuses to unload until you pay an inflated price, lost belongings, and deceptive estimates.

What to Gather Before You File

The strength of your complaint depends on the details you bring. Pull together as much of the following as you can before opening the form:

Date, time, and location. An intersection or mile marker is better than a city name.
The company’s legal or trade name and USDOT number. Federal rules require every commercial motor vehicle to display both on each side of the vehicle in letters legible from 50 feet. Note the license plate and any truck or trailer numbers too.⁵
A plain description of what happened, written while it’s fresh. Stick to facts.
Evidence: photos, videos, dashcam footage, witness contacts, and any police report number.
Your own name, address, and phone number, which the FMCSA requires to process a complaint.²

Looking Up the Carrier

If you have the USDOT number but not the company name, or the name but not the number, the FMCSA’s SAFER Company Snapshot at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov lets you search by either, plus MC/MX number. The snapshot shows the carrier’s identification, size, commodity information, safety rating, out-of-service inspection history, and crash data.⁶ A prior pattern of violations gives your complaint context.

Move Fast on Electronic Records

For hours-of-service violations, fatigue, or suspicious driving patterns, the carrier’s electronic logging device data is the evidence. Federal regulations require motor carriers to retain driver records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months from receipt.⁷ After that, the carrier can legally destroy the records. File early so investigators can pull the data while it still exists.

How to File With the FMCSA

Online is the standard path. Go to nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov, pick the category that fits (Truck Company, Moving Company, Broker, Bus Company, and so on), create an account, and complete the complaint form using the details you gathered. You can attach supporting documents directly.³

To file by phone, call 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) during business hours.

Moving Company Complaints

If the complaint is about a household goods mover, have your estimate, bill of lading, and inventory pages ready to upload. Include the origin and destination of the shipment along with the mover’s USDOT and MC numbers.⁸ It goes into the same NCCDB system but is flagged under the household goods enforcement track.

The 90-Day Deadline for Safety Complaints

This is the part people miss. For a complaint alleging a substantial violation, meaning one that could reasonably lead to or has resulted in serious injury or death, you must file in writing within 90 days of the event. The complaint has to identify the carrier by name and address, specify which regulations you believe were violated, and include a concise statement of facts with the date of each alleged violation.² Miss the window and the FMCSA can dismiss the complaint regardless of merit.

Household goods and other service complaints do not carry the same hard federal deadline, but delay works against you. Waiting months invites skepticism and costs you evidence.

When Another Agency Is the Right One

Not every trucking complaint belongs at the FMCSA.

State Agencies for Intrastate Carriers

Trucks that operate entirely within one state may fall under that state’s Department of Transportation or Public Utilities Commission rather than federal oversight. If the carrier has no USDOT number, or the issue turns on a state-specific rule, check your state DOT’s website. Rules and contact points vary by state.

The Company Itself for Service Issues

For a late delivery, a billing dispute, or a rude employee with no safety angle, start with the carrier’s customer service or safety department. Companies often resolve those faster internally than any agency will. If the company ignores you or the issue also involves a safety concern, escalate to the FMCSA.

The DOT Office of Inspector General for Fraud

Criminal conduct connected to DOT programs, including fraud, bribery, kickbacks, false claims, product substitution, counterfeit parts, and theft of government property, goes to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General through its hotline.⁹ For ordinary safety or service complaints, the OIG will redirect you to the FMCSA.

Deadlines If Your Cargo Was Damaged or Lost

Cargo damage runs on its own clock, separate from the safety complaint process. Under the federal Carmack Amendment, a motor carrier cannot require you to file a cargo damage claim in fewer than 9 months, and cannot require you to file a lawsuit in fewer than 2 years. The two-year clock starts from the date the carrier sends written notice denying all or part of your claim.¹⁰

Those are minimums. A carrier’s contract, usually in the bill of lading or broker agreement, can set longer periods, but a shorter one is unenforceable. If the contract says nothing about deadlines, the applicable state statute of limitations generally controls the lawsuit deadline. Read your shipping documents as soon as you discover damage, and file the written claim with the carrier well before the outer date.

If You Work for the Company You’re Reporting

Federal law protects drivers and other employees from retaliation. The Surface Transportation Assistance Act prohibits a motor carrier from firing, disciplining, or discriminating against an employee who reports safety violations, refuses to operate a vehicle that violates federal safety regulations, or files an FMCSA complaint. Retaliation complaints must be filed within 180 days of the adverse action.

The FMCSA also shields complainants directly. On a substantial-violation complaint, the agency will not disclose your identity unless disclosure is necessary to prosecute a violation. If disclosure becomes necessary, the division administrator is required to take practical steps to protect you from coercion, harassment, intimidation, disciplinary action, discrimination, or financial loss.²

What Happens After You File

You’ll receive a confirmation with a case reference. What comes next depends on the complaint.

For substantial safety violations, the FMCSA division administrator reviews whether the complaint is non-frivolous and meets the regulatory requirements. If it does, the agency investigates and notifies you of its findings. If it doesn’t, the agency dismisses it and sends a written explanation.² The agency does not run separate investigations for duplicate complaints about the same incident.

For household goods and service complaints, the FMCSA keeps the complaint in the company’s file. If the agency opens enforcement action, you may be contacted for additional information and documentation.⁸ Complaints that don’t trigger immediate action still feed into the carrier’s profile and can influence future compliance reviews.

Possible outcomes include fines or civil penalties, an order requiring corrective action, a downgraded safety rating, or case closure if no violation is found. Investigations run anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

A Complaint Won’t Get You Paid

An FMCSA complaint is a regulatory action, not a claim for money. If a carrier’s negligence caused you personal injury, property damage, or significant financial loss, the complaint process does not compensate you. You would need a separate civil claim, either through the carrier’s insurance, small claims court for smaller amounts (limits vary by state but typically run from $8,000 to $20,000), or a personal injury or property damage lawsuit for larger losses.

The two tracks are not mutually exclusive. The FMCSA complaint creates a regulatory record that can support a civil case, and a lawsuit doesn’t prevent or replace the complaint. If you were injured in a crash with a commercial truck, talk to a personal injury attorney while you file the FMCSA complaint. The evidence you gather serves both.

1
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Report Safety Violations
2
eCFR. 49 CFR 386.12 – Complaints
3
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. National Consumer Complaint Database
4
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is the Liability of a Motor Carrier for Hours of Service Violations
5
eCFR. 49 CFR 390.21 – Marking of Self-Propelled CMVs and Intermodal Equipment
6
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. SAFER Web – Company Snapshot
7
eCFR. 49 CFR 395.8 – Driver’s Record of Duty Status
8
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. File a Moving Fraud Complaint
9
U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. Hotline
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 14706 – Liability of Carriers Under Receipts and Bills of Lading