What is a SCAC code?

A SCAC code is a Standard Carrier Alpha Code. The code is 2 to 4 letters. It identifies a transportation company. Parcel Management Group is a registered freight broker (USDOT 3266041 · MC 1030328) in Ventura, CA 93001. Call (805) 984-4114.

The letters name the carrier. They do not name the shipment, the lane, or the freight. A shipper, a broker, and a carrier can all use the same code and mean the same company. You will see it anywhere a document or a message has to name that company in a short field.

Keep the code with the carrier record, not with a single load. When the same carrier hauls the next shipment, the SCAC stays the same. What changes from load to load is the tracking number, not the carrier code.

Who issues SCAC codes?

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) assigns SCAC codes and maintains them. A carrier registers with NMFTA. NMFTA assigns the letters and keeps the record of which company those letters name.

Carriers renew registration each year. Renewal keeps that code tied to that carrier in the NMFTA list. If you are matching letters to a company name, use the current record. An old printout can name a company that has since merged or rebranded.

NMFTA is the issuer. A broker does not assign the code, and a shipper does not invent one for a carrier. When the letters on a form do not match the carrier you expect, confirm them with the carrier or with NMFTA before you reuse them.

Where you see a SCAC code

On a bill of lading, the SCAC sits in the carrier field. That field names the company that will haul the freight. The other fields describe the shipment: shipper, consignee, pieces, weight, and handling. The code is the short name for the carrier on that form.

EDI tenders and load messages use the same code. An EDI tender books the freight electronically. The SCAC tells the receiving system which carrier the tender is for. A load message that names the wrong code is a message about the wrong company.

Routing guides store a SCAC for a lane or a rule. A TMS keeps the same letters on the carrier record. When the guide picks a carrier, it is picking that code. The tender that follows should carry the same letters as the carrier record.

Freight bills use it too. The invoice names the carrier that hauled the load. Match the SCAC on the freight bill to the SCAC on the bill of lading. When they match, you are looking at the same carrier on both documents.

How to look up a SCAC code

Start with the paperwork you already hold. Check the carrier field on the bill of lading. Check the freight bill. The code is often printed next to the carrier name.

If those documents do not show it, ask the carrier. The carrier knows the code it prints on tenders and bills. Ask for the code it uses now, not the code it used under an older name.

NMFTA offers SCAC lookup tools on its website. Use them when you have letters and need the company, or when you have a company name and need the letters. The tools are on the NMFTA website.

Do not treat an old routing guide as the lookup. Guides go stale after a merger or a rebrand. Confirm the code with the carrier or with NMFTA, then update the guide so the next tender uses the current letters.

SCAC code vs PRO number vs USDOT/MC number

A SCAC code names the carrier. It is the 2 to 4 letter code for the transportation company. It does not identify one shipment. Two loads hauled by the same carrier share one SCAC. The code answers who is hauling the freight.

A PRO number tracks one shipment. The carrier assigns it to that load. You enter it to read the last scan and the terminal. A new shipment gets a new PRO. The SCAC on those two shipments can be identical while the PRO numbers are not.

A USDOT number and an MC number are FMCSA registration numbers for the company. FMCSA is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. They identify the registered company. They are not a SCAC, and they are not a PRO. Parcel Management Group is registered as USDOT 3266041 and MC 1030328. Use the SCAC when a bill or a tender asks for the carrier code. Use the USDOT or MC number when a form asks for the FMCSA registration.

Why old SCAC codes cause problems

Mergers and rebrands can change the letters on a routing guide. The company changes its name. Older letters can still sit on a TMS carrier record, in a routing guide, or on a pre-printed bill of lading. Confirm the current SCAC before you change those records.

UPGF was the SCAC for UPS Ground Freight. That carrier is now TForce Freight. Older paperwork and carrier records may still say UPGF. If you see UPGF, track the shipment as TForce Freight. SCACs can change after a merger or a rebrand. Confirm the current SCAC with TForce Freight before you change carrier records. Tracking steps are in the TForce tracking guide.

When a carrier merges or rebrands, confirm the current SCAC with that carrier before you change records. Check the routing guide, the TMS, and any bill of lading template that still prints older letters.

How PMG helps

PMG books LTL and full truckload freight with vetted carriers. On each booked load, PMG puts the right carrier details on the bill of lading. The carrier field should name the company that will haul the freight, so the paperwork matches the tender.

Share origin, destination, weight, and class when you want a rate. Quote path: /ltl-freight-quote/ · /how-freight-quoting-works/.

Call (805) 984-4114 or start a chat at /#contact.

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