What’s your favorite number? Do you stick with Lucky Seven? Blackjack’s 21? Or, maybe you like to live dangerously, so you choose the number 13. People pick their special numbers for all sorts of reasons: a child’s birthday, a wedding date, or even digits that seems to pop up frequently as one goes through life. Some cultures even ascribe spiritual meaning to the numbers in a birth date or the number of letters in one’s name.
Here at Matchmaker Logistics, we like this number: #160202.
It’s our Motor Carrier number, a number readers in the trucking industry undoubtedly recognize. For those who might be unfamiliar, an MC number is a series of digits that designates a transportation company for purposes of interstate commerce. While nearly everyone must have a number from the Department of Transportation (DOT number), the MC number is reserved for companies specifically performing interstate travel.
Issued sequentially since the MC numbering system started, the lower the number; the greater the source of pride. Those of us with years of practice are pretty good at estimating exactly how long a company has been in business just by looking at that MC number.
Our number, 160,202, is a symbol of our long-standing commitment to good business practices. If you were to go out today and acquire a new MC number, you would likely be issued one somewhere in the 901,000 range. That means that nearly 740,000 transportation companies have started up since we put out our “Open for Business” sign.
There have been problems with the system. For instance, fly-by-night companies can ditch an old MC number (and/or DOT number too) if they get caught doing bad business. They can then apply for a new, albeit higher, number or, in some cases, numbers. To learn how we guard against this practice (known as churning), watch our video, How a Broker Can Protect You from Fraud.
Prior to 1980, the MC number was a vital part of ensuring that transportation companies met certain regulations regarding contract authority. When the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 deregulated the industry, MC numbers carried less importance. Still, MC numbers continued to be issued….until now.
As part of the new Unified Registration System set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, as of September 30, 2016, the MC number will no longer be used, Just like a lucky number, going forward, it’s only relevance will be the personal meaning you assign to it.
Although MC number will soon be a thing of the past, for us, #16202 will always add up to 35 years (and counting) of reputable business practice and an unwavering commitment to outstanding, integrity-focused customer service.
Do the math this weekend,
~Bob
