How to Get Your USDOT and MC Number in Motus, Step by Step
A USDOT number is an identifier. Operating authority is permission. You need both, and only one of them costs $300 and takes three weeks.
The short answer
- A USDOT number identifies your vehicles for safety data; an MC number grants for-hire interstate operating authority.
- Both are requested through FMCSA Motus. The company official must first complete Login.gov identity verification, and the filing fee is $300 per authority type.
- The USDOT number issues immediately; the MC number posts pending, then clears a 21-day protest period.
- Authority will not activate until your insurer files proof of coverage and a BOC-3 is on file.
Your next step
Get your authority without paying for duplicate filings.
Choose the next step based on whether an operating-authority application already exists.
I have not applied yet
Review USDOT/MC application assistance, BOC-3 and UCR coordination, and the work that remains yours.
Authority Only: $599 one-time service fee
Review filing helpMy MC application is already pending
Check existing filings and remaining dependencies before paying for another application. A pending docket is not permission to haul.
Check existing-application next steps
Government and vendor fees are passed through at cost with no markup; insurance premiums and other third-party charges are separate. Approval and timing are not guaranteed. Not a law firm, insurance agency, or tax advisor. No commissions from insurance, factoring, or software vendors.
Motus replaced FMCSA's legacy registration systems in May 2026. The sequence now begins with the company official creating a personal Login.gov account and completing identity verification. Only then can the company request USDOT and operating-authority records that downstream filings — insurance, BOC-3, UCR, and IRP — must match.
USDOT number vs. MC number
| USDOT number | MC number (operating authority) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A unique identifier for your company | Permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines |
| Who needs it | Nearly all commercial vehicles over 10,001 lbs in interstate commerce | For-hire carriers of regulated commodities |
| Cost | Free | $300 per authority type |
| Timing | Issued on submission | Pending in 1–2 days, active after 21-day protest period + filings |
| Renewal | MCS-150 biennial update | Stays active while insurance is on file |
If you only haul your own property (private carriage) or only operate intrastate, you may need a USDOT number without operating authority. If you move someone else's freight for money across a state line, you need the MC.
Choosing your authority type
- Motor Carrier of Property — the standard choice for a trucking company hauling general freight.
- Broker of Property — arranging transportation for others. Requires a $75,000 surety bond and cannot be blended with carrier operations on the same docket.
- Freight Forwarder — you take responsibility for the shipment and assemble/consolidate it.
- Household Goods variants — higher insurance minimums and additional consumer-protection rules.
Registering through FMCSA Motus
- 1
Create a Login.gov account
The owner or qualifying company official creates a personal Login.gov account with multi-factor authentication. Do not use a shared inbox or give credentials to a filing service; the verified identity belongs to that individual.
- 2
Complete identity verification
Follow Login.gov’s identity-proofing flow using your own current government-issued ID and the secure document and facial-matching process it provides. This step must be completed by the company official and cannot be delegated.
- 3
Create the company profile and select your role
Connect yourself to the business as its owner, officer, or other eligible company official. A filing service cannot claim this role. After the company profile exists, you may authorize a registered Transportation Service Provider for scoped, delegable work.
- 4
Start the registration and match every record
Select the applicant and authority types, disclose any prior USDOT number, and enter the legal name, DBA, EIN, physical address, and mailing address exactly as they appear on formation and tax records.
- 5
Describe your operation
Cargo classifications, number of power units and drivers, and whether you cross state lines. Be accurate: this drives your safety audit scope and your insurance underwriting.
- 6
Answer the safety and compliance certifications
You certify you have a drug and alcohol testing program and will comply with FMCSA regulations. Have the consortium enrollment underway before you certify it.
- 7
Pay the authority fee and save the confirmation
The USDOT identifier itself is free; each operating-authority type carries a non-refundable $300 fee. Save the Motus confirmation and record every number exactly as issued.
The 21-day protest period, and what to do during it
Once your application is docketed, FMCSA publishes it and holds it for 21 days so anyone can protest. Protests against a new trucking company are extremely rare. This window is not dead time — it is exactly when you should be binding insurance, filing your BOC-3, and completing UCR, because authority activates only when the filings are in place.
- 01Days 1–5: shop insurance and bind a policy with the effective date you want.
- 02Days 3–7: file your BOC-3 through a process agent.
- 03Days 5–10: complete UCR registration for the current year.
- 04Days 7–14: confirm the 91X filing posted against your docket on the FMCSA licensing site.
- 05Days 14–21: build your carrier packet and set up load board accounts so you can book on day 22.
The five entries that get applications rejected
- Legal name that does not match the Secretary of State record, including missing "LLC".
- A PO box entered as the principal place of business.
- EIN typed with a transposed digit — this breaks the insurance filing match later.
- Cargo classifications that contradict the declared operation, such as no hazmat authority but hazmat cargo selected.
- Zero power units or zero drivers declared, which stalls the safety audit scheduling.
Nobody calls to tell you a filing rejected. You find out three weeks later when a broker says your authority is not active.