Alabama motor carrier statistics
Alabama ranks #20 of the 50 states and DC by active motor carrier registrations, with 35,623 active carriers — 1.6% of the U.S. total. 10,600 of them (29.8%) hold operating authority. Computed from FMCSA's census snapshot of 2026-10-21 13:18 UTC.
Among Alabama's 10,600 authority holders, 5,208 (49.1%) report a single power unit and 577 (5.4%) report a fleet of 10 or more. 3,382 (31.9%) last filed an MCS-150 biennial update before October 2024 — a higher share than the national 27.0%.
Registration overview
| Measure | Alabama | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active registrations | 35,623 | 1.6% of U.S. | rank #20 of 51 |
| With operating authority | 10,600 | 29.8% | 32.3% |
| Hazmat-registered | 2,593 | 7.3% | 6.7% |
“Share” is the measure as a percentage of Alabama's active registrations; “U.S. share” is the same percentage computed nationally, so the two columns are directly comparable.
Operation type
| Operation | Carriers | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate | 10,050 | 28.2% | 30.9% |
| Intrastate, hazmat | 2 | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Intrastate, non-hazmat | 25,567 | 71.8% | 68.8% |
| Not reported | 4 | 0.01% | 0.2% |
Percentages are of active registrations. Interstate (census code A) carriers cross state lines; intrastate carriers operate only within Alabama.
Fleet size
| Power units | Carriers | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 power unit | 5,208 | 49.1% | 49.4% |
| 2–9 power units | 2,853 | 26.9% | 27.1% |
| 10–49 power units | 443 | 4.2% | 5.0% |
| 50 or more power units | 134 | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| None reported (0 or blank) | 1,962 | 18.5% | 17.2% |
Percentages are of Alabama's 10,600 active authority holders. Power-unit counts are self-reported on the MCS-150 and are not validated by FMCSA; a small number of records carry implausible values, so treat the top bucket as an upper bound.
MCS-150 filing currency
| Last recorded MCS-150 update | Carriers | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2024 or later | 6,212 | 58.6% | 64.3% |
| Before October 2024 (over 24 months old) | 3,382 | 31.9% | 27.0% |
| No date recorded in the census | 1,006 | 9.5% | 8.7% |
FMCSA requires a biennial MCS-150 update. The cutoff above is the first day of the month 24 months before this page was rendered. A stale census date is a strong signal but not proof of a missed filing — check a specific USDOT number with the MCS-150 update checker.
Related
States with similar registration counts: Maryland (44,312) · Kentucky (43,360) · Massachusetts (39,868) · Arizona (31,959) · Nebraska (29,131) · Oregon (28,896)
All 50 states and DC · Look up a carrier by USDOT or MC number · Check a carrier’s MCS-150 filing status
Source: FMCSA Company Census File (az4n-8mr2) on data.transportation.gov, refreshed daily. Figures computed by CarrierStat from the census snapshot dated 2026-10-21 13:18 UTC and aggregated by CarrierStat; FMCSA publishes no state-level rollup. Counts cover records with census status A (active) and a physical address in the 50 states or the District of Columbia; Canadian and Mexican registrants are excluded. Unofficial — verify any individual carrier at FMCSA SAFER.