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Motor Carrier Identification

Leased Vehicles:
Trip and long-term leasing can cause the names and numbers on the door to be different from the names on the shipping papers (bill of lading).  A company can lease a tractor(s) or the owner's services to pull its load with the company's trailer(s).  The carrier name and US DOT # on the driver's side of the tractor may be for the owner of the tractor(s), not the company responsible for the load. (This also applies to leased single-unit trucks.)

  • A short-term rental agreement (less than 30 days) is required to be inside the vehicle.
  • A carrier is required to have the carrier's name and USDOT# on the side of the vehicle within 30 days of a lease.  However, a company can extend a short-term (30 days) lease in an effort to keep from adding the company name to the vehicle.
Leased Vehicle Example
Above is a PROPERLY marked example of a leased vehicle. Note the presence of 2 USDOT numbers and 3 possible carrier names. This vehicle is owned by Ryder and leased to Blue Line Distrbuting, making Blue Line the responsible carrier. Interestingly, the SAFER website shows Blue Line is a DBA name for Little Caesars.
Short-term lease Example
Above is another vehicle owned by Ryder. In this case, Ryder Transportation Services has leased its services (short-term or trip lease) to haul goods under its operating authority. Ryder is the carrier that would be responsible in this situation.