Overview
Carrier verification (also called MC verification or FMCSA check) confirms that a carrier representative is authorized to act on behalf of the FMCSA-registered owner. Carrier verification lets your brokerage confirm that the person representing a motor carrier is authorized by the owner registered with the FMCSA. Alvys sends a 6-digit code to the FMCSA owner's email address and/or mobile number. Once the code is entered and accepted, the carrier's status updates to "Verified".
You can trigger verification from four locations in Alvys: Carrier Packet, Carrier Profile, Rate Confirmation, and Carrier Onboarding Packet.
Before verifying, Alvys requires at least one of the carrier's MC number or USDOT number, and at least one delivery method (email or phone). The FMCSA owner must have an email address or mobile number on file with the FMCSA.
You can check the current verification status of any carrier in three places:
The Carriers list (Verified Status column)
The carrier's profile page
The Carrier details section of any load
The status displays as a badge: "Verified" (green) or "Not verified" (orange).
Prerequisites
No special permission is required to trigger carrier verification. Any user logged in to Alvys (all users) can initiate and complete verification.
You will need:
The carrier's MC number or USDOT number (at least one is required)
Access to the carrier's FMCSA-registered email address or mobile phone, OR the ability to contact the carrier owner to obtain the code
Verification codes expire after a set period. If the code expires before it is entered, you can request a new one.
Steps
Open the carrier verification form. Verification can be triggered from four locations. Navigate to whichever is most convenient for your current workflow.
Option A, Carrier Packet: Navigate to Carriers in the left sidebar and open or create the carrier packet for the carrier you want to verify. Locate the Motor Carrier Validation section within the packet.
Initiating a Motor Carrier Validation via Carrier packet. Shows the Carrier Packet interface with the Motor Carrier Validation section visible and the verification options displayed.
Option B, Carrier Profile: Navigate to Carriers in the left sidebar and search for the carrier. Open the carrier's profile. Locate the Motor Carrier Validation section on the profile page.
Initiating a Motor Carrier Validation via Carrier profile. Shows the carrier profile page with the Motor Carrier Validation section and the verification trigger button.
Select a verification method. Once the Motor Carrier Validation form is open, choose how the 6-digit code will be sent to the FMCSA owner.
Email and SMS: Sends the code to both the FMCSA-registered email and mobile number simultaneously.
Email only: Sends the code to the FMCSA-registered email address only.
SMS only: Sends the code to the FMCSA-registered mobile number only.
Select your preferred option and confirm to send the code.
Retrieve the verification code. After sending, the code is delivered to the FMCSA owner. Retrieve it using one of these two methods.
Method A, code via email or SMS: If you or the carrier owner has access to the FMCSA-registered email or phone, retrieve the 6-digit code from the message received.
Verification code sent to FMCSA email. Shows an example of the email containing the 6-digit validation code.
Verification code sent to FMCSA mobile phone. Shows an example of the SMS containing the 6-digit validation code.
Method B, contact the carrier owner directly: If you do not have access to the FMCSA-registered email or phone, contact the carrier owner and ask them to read you the code from the message they received. Enter the code once they provide it.
Enter the code in the validation form. Enter the 6-digit code in the Motor Carrier Validation form and submit.
Motor Carrier Validation form showing the 6-digit code entry field and submit button.
Motor Carrier Validation form with an alternate view of the code entry step.
Confirm the result. After submitting, the system validates the code.
If the code matches and has not expired, a success message appears and the carrier's status updates to "Verified".
If the code does not match or has expired, an error message appears. You can request a new code and try again.
Successful Motor Carrier Validation message. Shows the success confirmation screen after a valid code is entered.
Motor Carrier Validation error message. Shows the error screen displayed when an invalid or expired code is submitted.
After successful verification, the carrier's status badge updates to "Verified" (green) in the Carriers list (Verified Status column), the carrier's profile page, and the Carrier details section on any load where this carrier is assigned.
Carrier list showing the Verified Status column with a Verified badge for a carrier.
Carrier details in the Load details view showing the verified carrier status.
Carrier details in the Carrier profile showing the verified status.
Verifying via the FMCSA email link
If Email is selected as a delivery method and you have access to the FMCSA-registered email inbox, you can verify without entering a code manually:
Open the verification email sent to the FMCSA owner's email address.
Click the verification link in the email.
The confirmation page opens in a browser. Confirm the carrier on that page.
If the link has expired or an error occurs, a separate error screen appears. Request a new verification from Alvys to generate a fresh link.
Motor Carrier Validation error via FMCSA email link. Shows the error page displayed when the email link is invalid or expired.
Motor Carrier Validation completed request via FMCSA email link. Shows the success state after confirmation via the email link.
Pending verification
If a code has already been sent and is still within its valid period, the form shows a pending state rather than offering a new code. Wait for the pending code to be used or expire before requesting a new one.
Motor Carrier Validation pending request. Shows the pending state indicator in the validation form while a code is still active.
Troubleshooting
Verification code not received
Confirm the carrier has an email address or mobile number registered with the FMCSA that matches what is on file in Alvys.
Check whether a verification is already pending. If a previous code was sent and has not expired, the form will show a pending state. Wait for it to expire before requesting a new one.
If the carrier owner has not received the code after a few minutes, ask them to check their spam or junk folder (for email) or verify the mobile number registered with the FMCSA is correct.
If none of the above resolves the issue, contact Alvys support.
Error message appears after entering the code
Confirm the code was entered exactly as received, including all 6 digits with no extra spaces.
Check whether the code has expired. Codes are valid for a limited time after being sent. If expired, request a new code.
If you continue to receive an error after requesting and entering a new code, contact Alvys support.
Verification status shows Not verified after successful entry
Refresh the page to reload the carrier's current status.
Check whether the confirmation message appeared after submission. A success message confirms the status was updated. If no message appeared, the verification may not have completed.
If the status still shows "Not verified" after refreshing and the success message did appear, contact Alvys support.
FAQs
Q: What happens if the verification code expires before I enter it?
A: Request a new verification code from the Motor Carrier Validation form. A new 6-digit code will be sent to the selected delivery method.
Q: Can I send the code to both email and SMS at the same time?
A: Yes. Select the "Email and SMS" option when choosing a delivery method. The code will be sent to both the FMCSA-registered email address and mobile number simultaneously.
Q: Where can I see the verification status for all my carriers?
A: The verification status is visible in the Carriers list under the Verified Status column, on each carrier's profile page, and in the Carrier details section of any load.
Q: What if I do not have access to the FMCSA email or mobile phone?
A: Contact the carrier owner directly. They will receive the code at the FMCSA-registered contact and can read it to you. Enter the code in the Motor Carrier Validation form once you have it.
Q: Does carrier verification expire over time?
A: The "Verified" status on the carrier profile does not expire automatically once set. The verification code sent during the process expires if not used within a limited period, but the resulting verified status on the carrier record persists.
Q: Can I verify a carrier if I only have their USDOT number and not their MC number?
A: Yes. The validation form accepts either an MC number or a USDOT number. At least one must be present to initiate verification.