--- title: "What Is a SCAC Code?" url: https://www.uncap.com/glossary/scac-code author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-18 updated: 2026-10-18 summary: "A SCAC code (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) is a unique two-to-four-letter code that identifies a transportation company. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) issues it. Shippers, brokers and carriers use it on bills of lading, contracts, freight systems and electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions, so every party and system names the same carrier." --- # What Is a SCAC Code? > A SCAC code (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) is a unique two-to-four-letter code that identifies a transportation company. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) issues it. Shippers, brokers and carriers use it on bills of lading, contracts, freight systems and electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions, so every party and system names the same carrier. **SCAC code (Standard Carrier Alpha Code)**: A SCAC code (Standard Carrier Alpha Code) is a unique two-to-four-letter code that identifies a transportation company. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) issues it. Shippers, brokers and carriers use it on bills of lading, contracts, freight systems and electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions, so every party and system names the same carrier. ## How it works NMFTA calls the SCAC the freight industry's universal carrier identifier. The codes were established in the 1960s, and NMFTA is the official agency that assigns them: SCACs are issued and governed exclusively by NMFTA. Once a carrier has a code, it shows up across the freight lifecycle: - Transportation management systems. To identify carriers consistently across planning, execution, billing and reporting. - Load tendering and dispatch. To identify the carrier assigned to a shipment, so freight is tendered to the correct party. - Contracts and freight documents. SCAC appears in contracts, bills of lading and freight documentation to identify the carrier responsible for a shipment. - EDI. The codes are recognized by the American National Standards Institute's Accredited Standards Committee and by the United Nations for EDI transactions. - Government programs. NMFTA says SCAC is used in government and regulatory programs as a standardized carrier identifier. For example, the FDA prior notice rule for imported food (21 CFR 1.281) asks for the SCAC or IATA code of the carrier bringing the food to the US port of arrival, or the carrier's name if no code applies. The SCAC is not only for trucking. NMFTA says it is also used in intermodal, maritime and logistics systems. SCACs must be renewed every year, and an expired code may no longer be recognized as active by shippers, brokers, 3PLs, platforms or government systems. For Non-Class 8 carriers, identity verification is now part of issuance and renewal. ## How shippers use a SCAC For a shipper or distributor, the SCAC identifies the carrier responsible for a shipment. NMFTA's official lookup product, SCAC Verified (formerly SCAC Online), lets shippers, 3PLs and brokers check a carrier before onboarding or tendering freight: - Confirm a carrier's SCAC is active - Check whether verified status is present, where applicable - Give internal teams a single source of truth, instead of screenshots, emails or informal confirmation For larger volumes, NMFTA also distributes bulk SCAC data for internal systems, onboarding workflows and compliance checks. ## Example A distributor ships to a retail chain that names its approved carriers by SCAC. The distributor keeps a carrier list of 12 carriers in its ERP, each record holding the carrier's name and SCAC. Before the next quarter, the logistics lead checks all 12 codes in SCAC Verified. Ten are active and 2 have expired, so 12 - 2 = 10 carriers stay available for tendering until the other 2 renew. When an order ships, the SCAC of the chosen carrier goes on the bill of lading, and the carrier's name and tracking number go back to the order so the buyer can follow the shipment. ## On Shopify Shopify's tracking data names the carrier by company name. In the GraphQL Admin API, a fulfillment's tracking information has three fields: company (the name of the tracking company), number and url. For tracking company names on Shopify's supported list, Shopify builds tracking URLs automatically. Shopify highly recommends sending both the tracking company and the tracking URL, since several carriers may use similarly formatted tracking numbers. In the admin, you choose the shipping carrier from a drop-down, or select Other and enter the tracking URL manually. In practice, an integration that receives a shipment from your ERP or warehouse system maps the carrier's SCAC to the name and tracking URL Shopify expects. As a general practice, the SCAC can also be kept on the order in a metafield, since Shopify says metafields extend data models such as orders with your own custom data. ## How Uncap helps Uncap's [Shopify EDI integration guide](/post/shopify-edi-integration) notes that the 856 Advance Ship Notice is sent when your order ships and contains carrier information, tracking, packaging details and line-item specifics. Failing to send an accurate 856 before delivery is the most common trigger for EDI chargebacks. ## Related terms - Bill of lading - LTL freight - Freight class - EDI 856 - 3PL (third-party logistics) - EDI (electronic data interchange) ## Sources - NMFTA: About the Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) - NMFTA: Do I Need a SCAC? - 21 CFR 1.281, What information must be in a prior notice? (Cornell LII) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I look up a SCAC code? Yes. SCAC Verified is NMFTA's official lookup product, used to confirm whether a SCAC is active and whether it shows verified status. ### Does every carrier have a SCAC code? Many do. NMFTA says many companies across freight transportation are required or expected to have a SCAC, and anyone who moves freight, contracts transportation or works with shipper or broker onboarding systems has a strong chance of needing one. ### How to find a carrier code? As a general practice, ask the carrier for its SCAC, then confirm it in SCAC Verified, NMFTA's official lookup. NMFTA also offers bulk SCAC data for checking codes inside your own systems. ### What is the SCAC code in trucking? It is the two-to-four-letter code that identifies a trucking company to shippers, brokers, load platforms and government programs. Owner-operators and small fleets often need one to get onboarded with brokers or shipper programs.