Held once, used everywhere
Your SCAC is entered once in Settings, and every shipment control number and ACE trip reference is derived from it.
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SCAC — Standard Carrier Alpha Code
A SCAC — Standard Carrier Alpha Code — is a unique two-to-four-letter code that identifies a transportation company. It is issued by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) and must be renewed every year.
Also called: SCAC code, carrier alpha code
- Who deals with it
- Held by the carrier as a company; used by dispatch on every US-bound filing.
- When it shows up
- On every ACE eManifest and PAPS number — and once a year, at renewal.
- What usually goes wrong
- Typed per load instead of held once, or allowed to lapse at renewal and discovered at the border.
SCAC, explained
It is your company's identity in systems that are not reading your name. US customs filings key off it: the shipment control number on an ACE eManifest and the PAPS number on the paperwork both begin with the carrier's SCAC. Shippers, rate tariffs and electronic load tenders use it too.
For a carrier crossing into the United States it is not optional, and not something to improvise. A wrong or missing SCAC means the entry cannot be matched to the truck presenting it — the sort of delay that looks inexplicable from the driver's seat. And because it has to be renewed each year, it is exactly the kind of annual task that quietly lapses.
How Lanexa handles it
This lives mainly in Settings, where 419 catalogued capabilities are live. Each item says which plan it is on.
Renewal on the calendar
Record the SCAC renewal date beside your bond and insurance dates, and the renewal alerts pick it up.
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Checked on partners
When you hand a load to a partner carrier, Lanexa warns before a southbound crossing if the partner has no SCAC on file.
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Questions about SCAC — Standard Carrier Alpha Code
What is a SCAC code?
A SCAC — Standard Carrier Alpha Code — is a unique two-to-four-letter code that identifies a transportation company.
It is issued by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) and must be renewed every year.
Who issues SCAC codes?
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) is the sole issuer.
Codes are two to four letters and must be renewed every year.
Does a carrier based in Canada need a SCAC?
To file an ACE eManifest for a truck entering the United States, in practice yes: the shipment control numbers and PAPS numbers start with it.
Canada-bound filings use a separate carrier code issued by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Is a SCAC the same as a USDOT number?
No. A USDOT number is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's safety identifier for a carrier.
A SCAC is a commercial code issued by NMFTA and used on customs filings, tenders and freight documents.