FMCSA’s new ID check aims to fight fraud in trucking company registration, but does it work?

At the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration demonstrated a major change coming to how motor carriers/owner-operators, brokers, drivers and others register with the agency: a new identity verification process designed to prevent fraud.

The system uses a smartphone to scan a government-issued photo ID and take a live selfie. Facial recognition technology then compares the two images to verify the person’s identity. It’s part of a broader effort to ensure that those filing for operating authority or updating carrier records are who they say they are.

In this video, FMCSA’s Alex Vanjani explains the reasoning behind the new approach and walks us through each step of the process. The agency hopes the change will help reduce instances of fraudulent filings, where someone might create a carrier profile under another person’s name or make unauthorized updates to existing records.

The verification system is currently being piloted and is expected to roll out in phases throughout 2025. Eventually, it will become a required part of accessing FMCSA’s online services.

For carriers, it’s a shift toward tighter digital security — and a sign of what’s to come as FMCSA continues to modernize its systems.

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