How many hazmat carriers are there in the US?

47,101 carriers are registered for interstate hazardous-materials operation in the FMCSA Company Census. Hazmat is an operating endorsement layered on top of a carrier's cargo, so the count reflects registration for hazmat operation, not a single "hazmat trucking" industry.

Why do hazmat carriers need extra insurance?

Hazardous-materials transport falls under added PHMSA rules and higher FMCSA financial-responsibility minimums (commonly $1M–$5M versus $750k for general freight), because a release can cause environmental and bodily-injury damage well beyond a typical crash.

Hazmat Carriers

Hazmat is a regulatory overlay, not a cargo type: carriers earn a hazardous-materials endorsement on top of whatever freight they haul, under added PHMSA and insurance requirements. 47,101 carriers are registered for interstate hazmat operation in the FMCSA Company Census, and the hazmat indicator concentrates sharply in a few cargo classes rather than spreading evenly across trucking.

The headline numbers

47,101

Interstate hazmat carriers

54.4%

Of chemical carriers carry hazmat

51.3%

Of tanker carriers carry hazmat

33,230

Hazmat carriers in chem + tanker

Hazmat does not spread evenly across trucking — it pools in two segments. 54.4% of chemical carriers and 51.3% of tanker (liquids & gases) carriers carry a hazmat indicator, versus low single digits in general freight. If you are sourcing hazmat capacity, those two cargo classes are where it actually lives.

Where the hazmat burden concentrates

Show data table

Hazmat-indicator overlap by cargo class (active carriers)
Cargo class	Active carriers	Carry hazmat indicator	Share
Chemicals	20,407	11,111	54.4%
Liquids & gases (tanker)	43,153	22,119	51.3%
Building materials	329,326	23,799	7.2%
Refrigerated food (reefer)	70,893	3,582	5.1%

Chemicals and tanker freight carry a hazmat indicator at roughly ten times the rate of general cargo, which is why hazmat endorsements, placards and higher insurance minimums concentrate in those segments.

Vet a specific carrier

These are aggregate counts. To check a single company, look it up by name or USDOT number, read our guide to vetting a carrier before you book, and learn how to spot double-brokering and carrier fraud. Compare freight types on the cargo-type pillar or see the national industry statistics.

Example published carriers

WARREN TRANSPORT INC — WATERLOO, IA
POOLE CHEMICAL COMPANY INCORPORATED — TEXLINE, TX
U R M STORES INC — SPOKANE, WA
MILK TRANSPORTATION LLC — MARTINS FERRY, OH
COOKE TRUCKING COMPANY INC — MOUNT AIRY, NC

Frequently asked questions

How many hazmat carriers are there in the US?: 47,101 carriers are registered for interstate hazardous-materials operation in the FMCSA Company Census. Hazmat is an operating endorsement layered on top of a carrier's cargo, so the count reflects registration for hazmat operation, not a single "hazmat trucking" industry.
Which kinds of trucking companies carry hazmat?: Hazmat concentrates in two cargo classes: 54.4% of chemical carriers and 51.3% of tanker (liquids & gases) carriers carry a hazmat indicator — far above general freight, where it is in the low single digits.
Why do hazmat carriers need extra insurance?: Hazardous-materials transport falls under added PHMSA rules and higher FMCSA financial-responsibility minimums (commonly $1M–$5M versus $750k for general freight), because a release can cause environmental and bodily-injury damage well beyond a typical crash.

Data: public FMCSA Company Census (dataset az4n-8mr2), compiled 2026-06-23. "Interstate hazmat carriers" counts carriers whose FMCSA operation type is interstate hazardous materials (Company Census dataset az4n-8mr2). The overlap figures count carriers that report both a given cargo flag and a hazmat indicator. Cargo and hazmat flags are self-reported registration classifications, not certifications, and a carrier may report several. This is not an official FMCSA statistic. See methodology and data sources.