---
title: "Authority age"
url: https://carrierkyc.com/glossary/authority-age
description: "Authority age is how long a carrier or broker has held its operating authority, measured from the date FMCSA granted it, not inferred from the size of its number."
---

# Authority age

**Definition:** Authority age is how long a carrier or broker has held its operating authority, measured from the date FMCSA granted it, not inferred from the size of its number.

Also called: MC age, Age of authority. Category: FMCSA & freight.

Factors and brokers use authority age as a screen because a new authority has no payment or safety history to judge. Calculate it from dates: the earliest grant in the authority history, from the legacy AuthHist file through 2026-05-14 and the Motus AuthHist file after that. For the USDOT registration itself, the census `add_date` shows when the record was created.

Never estimate age from the number. Motus randomizes newly issued USDOT and docket numbers, so a new authority can carry a higher or lower number than one granted years ago. Old rules of thumb about MC number ranges no longer work.

> **Red flag: Red flags** An aged authority whose officers, phone, email and bank are all new ([MC takeover](https://carrierkyc.com/glossary/mc-takeover)). A long-dormant authority that suddenly runs many loads. An old grant date followed by a revocation and a recent reinstatement, which breaks the history that matters. An age claimed on a sales call that doesn't match the authority history.

The [carrier check](https://carrierkyc.com/tools/carrier-check) computes age from FMCSA dates, and the [new authority risk guide](https://carrierkyc.com/guides/new-authority-risk) covers how to treat young carriers.

## Related

- [New authority, new risk? What the data says about new carriers](https://carrierkyc.com/guides/new-authority-risk)
- [MC takeover](https://carrierkyc.com/glossary/mc-takeover)
- [Operating authority](https://carrierkyc.com/glossary/operating-authority)
- [Motus](https://carrierkyc.com/glossary/motus)
- [Carrier risk check](https://carrierkyc.com/tools/carrier-check)

## Sources

- [NGWA: FMCSA announces new online registration system, Motus](https://www.ngwa.org/detail/news/2026/08/27/fmcsa-announces-new-online-registration-system--motus) (Summary of FMCSA's Motus guidance, 2026-08-27)
- [FMCSA AuthHist, All With History (legacy L&I)](https://data.transportation.gov/Trucking-and-Motorcoaches/AuthHist-All-With-History/9mw4-x3tu) (data.transportation.gov, last refreshed 2026-05-14)
- [FMCSA Motus AuthHist, All With History](https://data.transportation.gov/Trucking-and-Motorcoaches/Motus-AuthHist-All-With-History/yu5v-wbh6) (data.transportation.gov)
- [FMCSA Company Census File](https://data.transportation.gov/Trucking-and-Motorcoaches/Company-Census-File/az4n-8mr2) (data.transportation.gov)