USDOT & MC Number Registration | We File It For You
You give us the EIN, entity type, vehicle count and cargo type — we file the USDOT and MC application with FMCSA and track it until it is active.
- USDOT number active in 1 business day after we file
- MC authority, BOC-3 and insurance filings handled together
- Drug testing consortium, Clearinghouse and MCS-150 in one place
We file it. You get back to booking loads.
Send your EIN, entity details, vehicle count and cargo type. Your USDOT number is active in one business day.
What Is a USDOT Number, and What Is an MC Number?
A USDOT number is the identifier the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration assigns to your company. It is how FMCSA tracks your inspections, crashes, safety rating and audit history. It is not a license to haul freight for money.
An MC number — the motor carrier number, also called operating authority — is the separate permission to transport regulated freight or passengers for hire in interstate commerce. Many fleets need both. Plenty of fleets need only the USDOT number. Getting that classification wrong is the single most expensive mistake on a registration, because it decides your insurance filing, your process agent filing and whether you are legal to load.
USDOT registration is filed under 49 CFR 390.19. Operating authority is filed under 49 CFR Part 365. FMCSA charges nothing for the USDOT number itself. Operating authority carries a federal fee per authority type. Foley files both, and we do not stop at the FMCSA confirmation screen — we track the application until the number is active and the authority reads as granted.
- Display your legal name and USDOT number on both sides of every power unit — 49 CFR 390.21
- File a biennial MCS-150 update every 24 months, even when nothing changed — 49 CFR 390.19(b)(2)
- Designate process agents in every state you operate, on Form BOC-3 — 49 CFR Part 366
- Keep public liability insurance on file with FMCSA — 49 CFR 387.7
- Run a DOT drug and alcohol testing program from your first CDL driver — 49 CFR Part 382
- Pass a new entrant safety audit in your first 12 months of operation — 49 CFR 385.305
FMCSA is moving carrier registration onto Motus, the system announced in the Federal Register on 29 April 2026. Motus replaces the Unified Registration System, the registration side of MCMIS, and the legacy ICC Licensing and Insurance system. Phase I went live in December 2025 for supporting companies such as process agents and insurance filers; Phase II opened the system to motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders through the second quarter of 2026.
No regulation changed and no new deadline was created. What changed is the front door: the next biennial update, USDOT-number change, operating-authority change or BOC-3 filing is where most carriers will meet it. Fleets with several affiliated entities should expect to re-validate logins and authorisations, because each entity keeps its own record. Foley files through whichever system is live on the day, so the transition is ours to manage, not yours. Read our Motus briefing.
Who Needs a USDOT Number, and When Is a DOT Number Required?
You need a USDOT number if you operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce and any one of these is true (49 CFR 390.5, 49 CFR 390.201):
- Gross vehicle weight rating, gross combination weight rating, gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight of 10,001 pounds or more
- Designed or used to carry 9 or more passengers, including the driver, for compensation
- Designed or used to carry 16 or more passengers, including the driver, not for compensation
- Transporting hazardous materials in a quantity that requires placarding under 49 CFR Part 172, subpart F
Two traps catch new fleets. First, interstate commerce is about the freight, not the truck. If the shipment crosses a state line at any point in its journey, your leg of it is interstate even if your truck never leaves the state. Second, most states also require a USDOT number for intrastate operation, and some set a lower weight threshold than the federal rule. Each state sets its own intrastate threshold, and we confirm the one that applies to your base state before filing.
Does a pickup truck need a DOT number? Frequently, yes. A three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup pulling a gooseneck routinely exceeds 10,001 pounds GCWR. The rule looks at the rating and the actual weight, not at whether the vehicle looks like a truck.
You move your own product, equipment or materials in your own trucks, and no third party pays you to move it. Builders, landscapers, service fleets, farm operations and manufacturers hauling their own goods register for the USDOT number and stop there. Carriers hauling only exempt commodities interstate also sit here. Whether your freight is exempt turns on the commodity itself, and we confirm that against your lanes before filing.
Someone pays you to move regulated freight or passengers across state lines. That requires operating authority under 49 U.S.C. 13902 and 49 CFR Part 365 on top of the USDOT number. Brokers and freight forwarders need their own authority with different financial security. For-hire carriers operating only inside one state are usually licensed by that state, not by FMCSA.
Do you need a DOT for trucking that never leaves your state? Often yes — many states require a DOT number trucking operations run under intrastate, beyond the interstate triggers in 49 CFR 390.5T. We confirm which your DOT trucking number must be.
How to Get a DOT Number and MC Number: the Foley Process
Here is how the filing actually runs when Foley does it. You are not filling out the FMCSA application. You answer our questions once, and we handle the rest.
How to obtain a DOT number, how to obtain USDOT number credentials, apply for DOT number online — it is one filing. A login.gov account, the MCSA-1 in FMCSA URS, certification under 49 CFR 390.19T. Foley files it and keeps the credentials for applying for DOT number updates later.
Send us four details. We handle the filing.
EIN, entity type, vehicle count, cargo type. We complete the FMCSA application and track it until your numbers are active.
How Much Does It Cost to Get a DOT Number?
There are two separate bills, and they get conflated constantly. FMCSA charges federal fees. Foley's filing service is separate from those fees. Budget them separately.
| Item | Charged by | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDOT number | FMCSA | $0 | No federal fee to register, and no federal fee to file the MCS-150 biennial update. A free DOT number is real — the work around it is what costs. |
| Operating authority (MC number) | FMCSA | $300 per authority type (49 CFR 360.3T) | Carrier, broker and freight forwarder authority are each priced separately. Non-refundable if the application is denied. |
| BOC-3 process agent | Process agent | Set by the process agent you designate | A blanket agent covering every state you operate in, required before authority is granted (49 CFR 366.4). |
| Public liability insurance | Your insurer | Premium varies by operation | Minimum $750,000 for general freight, higher for oil and hazmat (49 CFR 387.9). Filed on BMC-91 or BMC-91X. |
| Broker or forwarder security | Surety or trustee | $75,000 financial security (49 CFR 387.307) | BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust fund. Carriers do not need this. |
| UCR registration | UCR / your base state | Fee bracket by power units reported on the MCS-150, set annually by the UCR Board | Applies to interstate carriers, brokers and forwarders. Separate from your FMCSA filings. |
| Foley filing fee | Foley | Quoted before we file | USDOT filing on its own, or the USDOT and MC authority filing together with BOC-3 coordination and docket tracking. |
One thing to watch: the operating authority fee is charged per authority type, not per application. A carrier that also wants broker authority pays twice. Decide that before you file, not after.
The application fee is only part of getting on the road
New entrants also need a drug and alcohol testing program, UCR registration and a BOC-3 filing. We tell you which ones apply to your operation before you file, not after.
Talk to a registration specialistHow Long Does It Take to Get a DOT Number or MC Number?
These two timelines are not the same, and we will not tell you they are. The USDOT number is fast. Operating authority is not, because three separate parties have to file before FMCSA can grant it.
| Stage | Typical timing | What controls it |
|---|---|---|
| USDOT number issued and active | 1 business day after we file | Your information being complete — most delays are a missing EIN or a mismatched entity name. |
| Operating authority application filed | Same day as the USDOT filing | Filed together so the docket opens immediately (49 CFR 365.105). |
| BOC-3 process agent on file | Usually within days | Must be on file before authority is granted (49 CFR Part 366). |
| Insurance filed by your underwriter | Days to weeks | The most common bottleneck. Your agent, not FMCSA, controls this one. |
| Publication and protest period | 10 days to protest, then the grant | FMCSA publishes the application and allows protests before granting (49 CFR 365.109). |
| Authority granted, legal to haul for hire | Once every item above has cleared | All of the above clearing, plus FMCSA queue depth. |
If a filing service tells you an MC number lands in 24 hours, they are describing the USDOT number and hoping you do not notice. You can be issued a USDOT number tomorrow and still be weeks away from legally accepting a for-hire interstate load. Hauling in that gap is what triggers the out-of-service order described below.
MC Number, Motor Carrier Number and FMCSA Operating Authority
The MC number is your FMCSA operating authority docket number. "Motor carrier number," "MC docket" and "DOT motor carrier number" all point at the same thing. It answers a different question than the USDOT number: not who are you, but what are you permitted to transport for money across state lines.
The authority types, and which one you file
- Motor carrier of property — you own or lease the trucks and haul regulated freight for hire. Filed on the OP-1 application.
- Motor carrier of passengers — for-hire interstate passenger transportation, filed on OP-1(P), with higher insurance minimums tied to seating capacity under 49 CFR 387.33.
- Household goods carrier — moving companies, filed on OP-1(HHG), with consumer protection obligations under 49 CFR Part 375 that ordinary freight carriers do not carry.
- Broker — you arrange transportation but do not haul it. Requires $75,000 in financial security under 49 CFR 387.307, not liability insurance.
- Freight forwarder — you assemble, consolidate and assume responsibility for the shipment, filed on OP-1(FF).
BOC-3 and the insurance filings
Two filings sit between an approved application and an active authority. The BOC-3 designates a process agent in each state where you operate, so legal papers can be served on you locally (49 CFR 366.4). Almost every carrier uses a blanket agent that covers all states at once. Only a process agent or the carrier itself may file it.
The insurance filing is made by your underwriter, not by you and not by us. Public liability goes on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X (49 CFR 387.7). Cargo insurance on Form BMC-34 is required for household goods carriers. If your agent has never made an FMCSA filing before, tell us early — we will talk to them directly rather than let the application sit.
Carrying both a carrier authority and a broker authority under one entity is allowed but scrutinized. FMCSA expects separate financial responsibility for each, and shippers increasingly ask which hat you are wearing on a given load.
MC number trucking authority and your USDOT number are separate records. A trucking MC number is permission to haul regulated freight for hire interstate under 49 CFR 365.101; the USDOT number is the safety identifier. MC vs DOT number confusion puts carriers out of service.
DOT Numbers on Trucks: Marking Rules Under 49 CFR 390.21
Getting the number is half the obligation. Displaying it correctly is the half that gets written up at roadside. 49 CFR 390.21 sets the marking requirements for every self-propelled commercial motor vehicle you operate.
- The legal name or a single trade name of the operating carrier, exactly as it appears on the MCS-150
- The identification number preceded by the letters "USDOT" — for example, USDOT 1234567
- Marked on both sides of the power unit
- In letters that contrast sharply in color with the background
- Readable from 50 feet during daylight hours while the vehicle is stationary
- Maintained legibly — faded, peeling or partly covered markings are violations, not close enough
Leased and rented equipment has its own rule. When you operate a vehicle under a lease, the markings identify the carrier operating it, and the lease documentation has to be in the vehicle (49 CFR 390.21(e) and 49 CFR Part 376). Owner-operators running under someone else's authority display that carrier's name and USDOT number, not their own.
Do MC numbers go on the truck? The federal marking rule does not require it. Some states, some shippers and some brokers ask for it anyway, and displaying it is permitted. What is not permitted is displaying a USDOT number you are not authorized to operate under, or leaving an old carrier's markings on a unit after the lease ends.
After You Register: MCS-150, UCR, Drug Testing and the New Entrant Audit
The application is the easy part. The obligations that start the day your number goes active are what an auditor actually reviews, and this is the work Foley runs for fleets every day.
Biennial MCS-150 update
Every carrier must update its MCS-150 every 24 months, on a schedule set by the last two digits of your USDOT number, even when nothing has changed (49 CFR 390.19(b)(2)). Miss it and FMCSA deactivates the number. A deactivated USDOT number means your authority is at risk and your trucks are subject to being placed out of service.
UCR
Interstate carriers, brokers and freight forwarders register and pay annually under 49 CFR Part 367. Fee brackets are by fleet size and are reset each year — see our unified carrier licence guide and the current UCR registration fee breakdown.
Drug and alcohol testing
The day you employ your first CDL driver, 49 CFR Part 382 applies in full: pre-employment testing before the first safety-sensitive function (49 CFR 382.301), random testing at the minimum annual rates FMCSA sets (49 CFR 382.305) — for 2026 that is 50 percent of average driver positions for controlled substances and 10 percent for alcohol, and FMCSA publishes any change in the Federal Register to take effect the following January 1, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, and return-to-duty testing. Small fleets meet the random requirement through a consortium under 49 CFR 382.107. Foley operates its own consortium and C/TPA, so the pool, the selections, the collection site network and the MRO review sit under one roof.
Clearinghouse
Register in the FMCSA Clearinghouse before you hire, run a full query on every new CDL driver, and run a limited query annually on every driver you employ (49 CFR 382.701).
Driver qualification files
Every driver needs a DQ file under 49 CFR 391.51: application, an MVR at hire and an annual review under 49 CFR 391.25, three years of employment verification, and a valid medical examiner's certificate. Our DOT certification guide walks the physical requirements under 49 CFR 391.41.
New entrant safety audit
New carriers operate under new entrant status and get a safety audit within the first 12 months (49 CFR 385.305). The audit is a document review. Missing drug testing records, missing DQ files and a missing MCS-150 are the three findings we see end audits badly.
There is no annual renewal. Carriers who ask us to renew my DOT number, or to renew DOT registration, need the biennial MCS-150 update under 49 CFR 390.19(b). Miss it and FMCSA deactivates the number. We file it and track the next due date.
What to have in front of you before you file
- Legal name and any doing-business-as name, exactly as registered.
- EIN. A sole proprietor with no EIN may file under a Social Security number instead.
- Dun & Bradstreet number, if your business has one.
- Names and titles of company officials.
- Principal place of business and mailing address, plus a phone number and email FMCSA can reach.
- Vehicle counts by type, driver counts, cargo classifications and your operation type.
Filing is done at FMCSA's registration portal, portal.fmcsa.dot.gov, on Form MCSA-1: create the login, complete the application, request operating authority in the same filing if you need it, arrange the BOC-3, have your insurer file, then watch the docket. With the list above in hand the application itself takes a few hours, not days.
A BOC-3 posts in one to three business days through a blanket agent. From filing to a granted authority is commonly 20 to 25 business days when nothing stalls, and the insurance filing is what usually stalls it.
The MCS-150 is refiled every 24 months and also whenever your information changes, not only on the two-year clock. Several states, California, Texas and New York among them, require a USDOT number for purely intrastate operation, so a carrier that never crosses a state line can still need one. Hazmat carriers need one at any vehicle size. Adding a truck over 10,001 lbs? Register it before it rolls.
Minimum Insurance FMCSA Requires Before Authority Is Granted
Your operating authority is not granted until your insurer files proof of public liability on your docket. The minimum limits are set by 49 CFR 387.9 and depend on what you haul, not on the size of your fleet.
| What you haul | Minimum public liability |
|---|---|
| Property, non-hazardous, 10,001 lbs GVWR or more | $750,000 |
| Oil listed in 49 CFR 172.101, and hazardous materials or waste not in the bulk categories below | $1,000,000 |
| Hazardous substances in bulk, bulk Division 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3, and highway route controlled quantities of Class 7 | $5,000,000 |
| Passengers, vehicle seating 16 or more including the driver | $5,000,000 |
| Passengers, vehicle seating 15 or fewer including the driver | $1,500,000 |
| Broker or freight forwarder financial security (BMC-84 bond or BMC-85 trust) | $75,000 |
Household goods carriers also file cargo insurance on Form BMC-34. Your insurer files these with FMCSA directly; you cannot file them yourself, which is why the insurance filing is the step that most often holds up a grant.
What recurs once the number is active
| Obligation | How often | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| MCS-150 biennial update | Every 24 months, and whenever your information changes | 49 CFR 390.201(d) |
| UCR registration | Annually | 49 U.S.C. 14504a |
| Annual MVR and review of the driving record, every driver | Annually | 49 CFR 391.25 |
| Random drug and alcohol testing at the published minimum rates | Ongoing, spread across the year | 49 CFR Part 382 |
| Clearinghouse query, every CDL driver | Annually, plus pre-employment | 49 CFR 382.701 |
| Annual vehicle inspection, every CMV | Annually | 49 CFR 396.17 |
| IFTA fuel tax returns, if you qualify | Quarterly | State administered |
| IRP apportioned plates, if you qualify | Annually | State administered |
New entrant status runs for 18 months under 49 CFR 385.307. The safety audit happens inside that window, and roadside performance is monitored for the whole of it.
Penalties and Audit Exposure for Operating Without Authority
The consequences here are not theoretical. They are assessed at roadside and in the mail, and they compound.
A driver operating a commercial motor vehicle for a carrier that does not hold the required operating authority is placed out of service under 49 CFR 392.9a. The load does not move, the customer is not served, and the violation attaches to your record before you have one. Civil penalties for transporting without registration are set by 49 U.S.C. 14901 and adjusted every year for inflation, so the amount that applies is the one listed in 49 CFR Part 386, Appendix B, in force on the date of the violation.
- No USDOT number when one is required — violation of 49 CFR 390.19, cited at roadside and during any compliance review.
- Missing or non-compliant markings — 49 CFR 390.21. Small fine, high frequency, and it invites a deeper inspection.
- Lapsed insurance on file — FMCSA revokes operating authority when the insurance filing is cancelled and not replaced (49 CFR 387.7). Carriers find out when a broker's onboarding check fails.
- Missed biennial MCS-150 — USDOT number deactivated under 49 CFR 390.19(b)(2), with penalties for failure to file.
- Failed new entrant safety audit — new entrant registration is revoked and the carrier must cease interstate operation (49 CFR Part 385, subpart D).
- Drug and alcohol program failures — the highest-dollar findings in most audits. Using a driver before a negative pre-employment result (49 CFR 382.301) or failing to run Clearinghouse queries (49 CFR 382.701) are per-driver, per-instance violations.
The pattern we see is consistent: the registration itself is rarely what sinks a new carrier. The obligations that started the moment the number went active are.
Truck bought, driver hired, and no authority yet?
Every week without active authority is a week you cannot legally haul. We file the application, answer FMCSA's questions and follow it through to active status.
FMCSA Registration in 2026: What Is Changing
Two changes matter to anyone registering now.
The registration system is being replaced. FMCSA is retiring the Unified Registration System workflow and moving carrier registration onto a modernized platform, with identity verification built in to cut down on fraudulent and hijacked registrations. FMCSA sets the cutover schedule and the order applications move over, and publishes both in the Federal Register. Practically, this means more identity documentation at filing and less tolerance for mismatched entity names between your state formation records, your EIN and your application. We check those three against each other before we submit, because a mismatch now means a rejected filing rather than a phone call.
The MC number is being phased out as a separate identifier. FMCSA's stated direction is a single USDOT number carrying the registration and the authority, retiring MC, FF and MX docket numbers. The effective date and the handling of existing dockets are set by FMCSA rulemaking. Until that takes effect, brokers and shippers still ask for an MC number, and you still need operating authority to haul for hire — the identifier changes, the permission does not.
If you are researching the authority side in depth, our guide on how to get your operating authority covers the application and docket process step by step. For the identity and safety filings that follow, start with Clearinghouse registration.
The URS FMCSA rolled out replaces separate forms with one online registration record.
What's Included When Foley Files
What you get for the filing fee, compared against doing it yourself.
| Item | Self-filing | Foley: USDOT filing | Foley: USDOT + MC authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation classification review before filing | You decide | Included | Included |
| Entity name, EIN and address cross-check | You decide | Included | Included |
| USDOT registration filed with FMCSA | You file | Included | Included |
| Operating authority application (OP-1 series) | You file | Not included | Included |
| BOC-3 process agent coordination | You arrange | Not included | Included |
| Insurance filing follow-up with your underwriter | You chase | Not included | Included |
| Docket tracked through the protest period to granted | You monitor | Not applicable | Included |
| MCS-150 biennial due-date calendar | You track | Included | Included |
| Drug and alcohol consortium enrollment | Separate vendor | Available | Available |
| Clearinghouse registration and query support | You register | Available | Available |
| A named contact after the filing | FMCSA call queue | Included | Included |
Why Fleets Have Foley File It
Filing services that only file are common. The reason fleets stay with us is what happens after the number is issued, because that is where the audit findings live.
- We run our own consortium and C/TPA. Your random pool, selections, collection site scheduling and MRO review are ours, not subcontracted to a third party we then have to chase for records. See DOT drug test program details.
- DER support by phone. When a driver tests positive or refuses, the designated employer representative has decisions to make that day under 49 CFR 382.501. Our specialists walk you through removal from safety-sensitive duty, the SAP referral and return-to-duty steps.
- DQ files and MVR monitoring. We build the file to 49 CFR 391.51 and monitor driving records continuously rather than waiting for the annual review — an MVR pulled once a year is a year of blind spots.
- Background screening and Clearinghouse queries run alongside the DQ file, so pre-employment obligations under 49 CFR 382.701 and 49 CFR 391.23 are closed out together.
- Renewal work does not fall on you. MCS-150 biennial updates, unified carrier licence renewals and medical certificate expirations are tracked and prompted.
Special Cases: Intrastate, Reinstatement, Lookups and Transferring an MC Number
Transferring an MC number between carriers
Operating authority can be transferred, but not informally. Transfers of operating rights are governed by 49 CFR Part 365, subpart D, and are governed there by a notice the parties file with FMCSA, and subpart D sets both the content of that notice and the deadline for filing it. Foley confirms the deadline that applies to your transaction before you close. Buying a company for its MC number and its safety history is a strategy some carriers use, and it carries the seller's crash and inspection record with it. Review the record before the purchase, not after.
Reinstating a revoked or deactivated number
A USDOT number deactivated for a missed biennial update is reactivated by filing the MCS-150. Operating authority is a different problem. Authority that is suspended or deactivated is reinstated for $80 under 49 CFR 360.3T(f)(52). Authority that has been revoked outright — after a lapsed insurance filing, for example — cannot be reinstated at all: you apply for a new MC number, pay the $300 application fee again, and go back through the protest period.
DOT check and MC number lookup
Anyone can verify a carrier. FMCSA's public systems return your legal name, USDOT number, authority status, insurance on file and safety data. Brokers check this before they tender you a load, which is why an authority marked as inactive or an insurance filing showing cancelled costs you freight the same day it happens, not at your next audit.
Intrastate operation
If every load stays inside one state, federal operating authority generally does not apply, but your state's requirements do. Each state sets its own intrastate rules, including whether an intrastate carrier needs a USDOT number and the vehicle weight at which that requirement starts. Foley confirms what applies in the state you run in.
One wrong field can restart the clock
Wrong entity type or cargo classification sends an application back. We check the details against how you actually operate before it goes to FMCSA.
- Registration is triggered by vehicle weight or passenger count, not by whether you think of yourself as a trucking company.
- The USDOT number is refreshed every two years through the biennial update. Operating authority is a one-time filing with no renewal cycle.
- A USDOT number alone does not make interstate for-hire freight legal. That is what the operating authority does.
- Running freight without authority risks vehicle seizure, criminal exposure, and a bar on ever holding authority again.
Carriers who already run this with Foley
Crosslin Trucking
Halved its hiring turnaround, from over two weeks to about one, with driver files centralised before the New Entrant audit. Read the case study.
Samoan Transportation
Filed its MC number and BOC-3 with Foley and has gone three years without an audit. Read the case study.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a DOT number?
You file a registration with FMCSA under 49 CFR 390.19 identifying your company, your operation type, your vehicles and your cargo. There is no federal fee. If Foley files it, you send us your EIN, entity details, vehicle count and cargo type, and your USDOT number is active in 1 business day.
What is a DOT number, and what is a USDOT number?
They are the same thing. A USDOT number is the identifier FMCSA assigns to your company to track inspections, crashes, audits and your safety rating. It identifies you — it does not grant permission to haul freight for hire.
What is an MC number?
An MC number is your FMCSA operating authority docket number. It is the permission to transport regulated freight or passengers for compensation in interstate commerce, issued under 49 U.S.C. 13902 and 49 CFR Part 365. It is separate from the USDOT number.
How much does it cost to get a DOT number?
FMCSA charges $0 for the USDOT number. Operating authority carries a federal fee of $300 per authority type, set at 49 CFR 360.3T. On top of those you have your process agent fee, insurance premium and UCR. Foley's filing fee is listed above and is separate from all federal fees.
How long does it take to get a DOT number?
Your USDOT number is active in 1 business day after we file. Operating authority takes longer — typically 3 to 6 weeks end to end because the BOC-3, your insurance filing and the publication and protest period under 49 CFR 365.109 all have to clear first.
How do you get an MC number, and how long does it take?
You file the OP-1 series application under 49 CFR 365.105, designate process agents on Form BOC-3, and have your insurer file proof of public liability on Form BMC-91X. FMCSA publishes the application and allows a protest period before granting authority. Expect weeks, not days.
Do I need an MC number or just a DOT number?
If a third party pays you to move regulated freight or passengers across state lines, you need both. If you haul only your own product in your own trucks, or you operate only within one state, you generally need the USDOT number and not federal operating authority.
How do I get a motor carrier number?
Motor carrier number and MC number mean the same thing. It is issued through the same operating authority application described above. Some shippers use "DOT motor carrier number" loosely to mean either identifier — ask which one they actually want before you send it.
Does a pickup truck need a DOT number?
Often, yes. The threshold in 49 CFR 390.5 is a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more in interstate commerce. A heavy-duty pickup with a trailer routinely exceeds that. The rating governs, not the vehicle type.
Do I have to put my MC number on the truck?
No. The marking rule at 49 CFR 390.21 requires your legal or trade name and the USDOT number preceded by "USDOT," on both sides, in contrasting color, readable from 50 feet. Displaying the MC number as well is permitted but not federally required.
Is a DOT number free?
The USDOT number itself is free from FMCSA, and so is the biennial MCS-150 update. What people pay for is having the classification decided correctly, the authority application filed, the BOC-3 and insurance coordinated, and the deadlines tracked afterward.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to obtain a DOT number?
There is no FMCSA filing fee for the USDOT number itself. Operating authority carries a $300 application fee per authority type under 49 CFR 360.3T, plus the BOC-3 process agent filing required by 49 CFR 366.1.
How to obtain DOT number vs. how to obtain DOT license — is there a difference?
No. There is no DOT license. Obtaining a DOT number and obtaining DOT number registration are the same MCSA-1 filing; you obtain DOT number status when FMCSA accepts it.
How do I obtain a USDOT number, and how do I apply for a DOT number online?
FMCSA accepts applications only online. Applying for a DOT number requires your legal business name, EIN, vehicle and driver counts, and cargo classifications, certified under 49 CFR 390.19T.
USDOT number active in 1 business day
MC operating authority filed the same day, with BOC-3 and insurance coordination handled and the docket tracked to granted.