Accurate carrier identification is fundamental to modern transportation operations. Every day, thousands of electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions, freight movement, and customs filings depend on the correctness of a single code: the Standard Carrier Alpha Code® (SCAC™).
Assigned and maintained by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.® (NMFTA)™, SCACs remain the industry gold standard for motor carriers, brokers, railroads, and other transportation entities.
SCAC accuracy depends on the ability to know in real time whether a code is active or expired and how the SCAC owner’s identity was verified. That’s why the ability to verify a company’s identity and SCAC status with certainty has become an operational requirement. By using the SCAC Web Service API, organizations can easily automate SCAC lookups and validate a carrier’s identity to help ensure the legitimacy of the carriers they work with, reducing the risk of fraud and elevating their trusted industry profile.
Confirm SCAC Status
Quickly and easily confirm a SCAC status by using the SCAC API to search for a SCAC by its code, MC Number, DOT Number, or company name. Instant, accurate results return timely information about the SCAC, including:
- If the SCAC is active or expired,
- If the SCAC has been verified through Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Data, or
- If the company completed SCAC ID Verification.
Automating these checks helps organizations avoid operational delays caused by outdated or invalid carrier information and ensures that only verified SCACs enter the transportation system.
Visit our Help Center to learn more about SCAC Web Service API Methods: Search.
Verify SCAC Authenticity
To mitigate fraud risk and strengthen carrier identity assurance, NMFTA has implemented an ID verification framework for non–Class 8 carriers within the SCAC system. This framework introduces identity and address validation controls into SCAC application, renewal, and reinstatement workflows, ensuring both the legal entity and authorized individual requesting a SCAC are properly authenticated.
This approach addresses verification limitations for carriers that cannot be fully validated using FMCSA data alone. Through the SCAC API, integrators can programmatically access real-time carrier metadata, including SCAC status, verification method, and identity attributes.
Carriers verified via FMCSA data have had their safety profile and identification validated against the FMCSA Company Snapshot at the time of SCAC assignment, renewal, or reinstatement. Carriers verified by ID have completed NMFTA’s ID verification process, which leverages a third-party identity service to validate government-issued identification using biometric matching and authoritative database checks.
Powerful Infrastructure & Performance
Built on a stable RESTful API architecture, the SCAC API provides reliable, realtime access to SCAC status and verification data, enabling straightforward integration with transportation systems.
Designed for scalability and consistent performance, the API supports highvolume automation while adapting to changing traffic patterns. Using the SCAC API as a live data service helps ensure accuracy and reduces ongoing maintenance overhead.
Don’t you think it’s time? Time to stop relying on static or manually maintained sources that can introduce delays and added operational overhead. And, time to start using the SCAC API as a live data service today.
Integration Starts Now
Implement the SCAC API into your system today to tap into the powerful identity verification features offered by SCAC and SCAC Verified and never worry about who is lurking behind a SCAC again.
To learn more, check out our available resources:
- Read the SCAC API documentation in the NMFTA Help Center, providing key technical and integration guidance as well as other supportive materials.
- Purchase the SCAC Web Services API at scaccode.com.
- Contact NMFTA’s award-winning Customer Service team, dedicated and highly trained professionals ready to help.
