Inactive authority
Inactive authority means the company is not currently authorized for that grant. FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance help says an inactive status means the authority has been revoked. Do not hand over the car to that company.
Key facts
The sources are listed on this page.
On the Licensing and Insurance record, inactive means the carrier, broker, or forwarder authority has been revoked. None means the company is not registered for that type. The help page says an application may still be pending, or a previous application may have been denied, dismissed, or withdrawn. SAFER uses different words. An inactive USDOT number, on the SAFER help page, means the biennial census update was not completed. NOT AUTHORIZED means the entity does not have interstate for-hire operating authority. The SAFER help page says that label does not apply to private or intrastate operations. OUT-OF-SERVICE means the carrier is under an order not to operate. Those are not the same status. None of them is an active authority to haul your car for hire. Do not hand over the car on the strength of a word you have not matched to the line you are reading.
A website does not fix the file
A polished ad can sit on top of a dead docket. Look up the number yourself the day of pickup.
What to do instead
Ask for a carrier whose grant is active for the role it is playing, broker or carrier, and whose legal name matches the contract. RideShipper cannot activate a docket. Only FMCSA's record can show that it is active.