Motus, FMCSA's registration system, explained

What Motus is

Motus is FMCSA's online registration system. It replaced the old FMCSA Portal and the Unified Registration System: the old systems closed on May 14, 2026, and Motus opened to everyone on May 19. The name isn't an acronym; it's Latin for "movement."

In Motus you can:

• Apply for a USDOT number, operating authority (your MC number) or another registration.
• File the biennial update (Form MCS-150) and change your company name, address and contact details.
• Reinstate a suspended authority, or inactivate or reactivate your USDOT number.
• Track where each application stands.

Anyone can also look up a company's record in Motus's public search, by USDOT number, legal name or DBA name. No login needed.

Before your first login

Have these ready. FMCSA's quick-start guide lists them:

• A Login.gov account. If you used the old FMCSA Portal, use the same email you used there. Creating a Login.gov account is free, and it requires a second step such as a code sent to your phone.
• A phone, tablet or computer with a camera, for the identity check.
• A government ID: driver's license, state ID, passport or resident card.

FMCSA recommends not using your public business email for your Motus login. Your business contact details are public, which is how scammers find new carriers.

First login, step by step

1. Go to motus.dot.gov and click Sign In Login.gov under "Regulated Entities & Supporting Companies."
2. Sign in to Login.gov, or create an account.
3. Read and accept FMCSA's Rules of Behavior.
4. Verify your identity. You take a photo of your face and your ID. On a computer, scan the QR code with your phone. On a phone, tap "Or click here to use the camera on this device." No camera at all? FMCSA lists enrollment centers where you can do it in person.
5. Fill in your user profile. Your name fills in exactly as it appears on your ID.
6. Choose what you're doing: link an existing USDOT number, start a new registration, or register as a supporting company. Carriers should never pick "supporting company." That's for insurers, process agents and service providers, and picking it by mistake is a known reason carriers can't claim their number.

Claiming a USDOT number you already have

If you got your USDOT number before May 2026, your record is already in Motus. The company official "claims" it, which brings your company data across so you don't re-enter it.

1. Log in and finish the identity check.
2. A pop-up says one or more USDOT numbers are linked to your Login.gov account. Choose Link USDOT Number.
3. Pick your number and click Continue.
4. Enter the code FMCSA emails to your Login.gov email address.
5. Certify that you're the owner, a partner or an authorized officer, and type your name as your signature.
6. Review your company information and fix anything out of date.
7. Click Certify in the orange banner at the top, then accept the final statement.

If your number doesn't appear, or the pop-up never shows, contact FMCSA through motus.dot.gov/contact-fmcsa. Don't start a new registration to get around it.

Applying for new authority without losing it

New applications are free for a USDOT number alone and $300 for each type of operating authority, by card, inside Motus. The fee isn't refunded if the application is dismissed.

Two filings decide whether your authority goes active, and you can't file either one yourself:

• Proof of insurance (Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X), filed by your insurance company.
• Your BOC-3, filed by a process agent.

The clock starts when your application is published in the FMCSA Register, not when you submit. Both filings are due within 20 days of publication (49 CFR 365.109T). If they're late, FMCSA sends a decision giving you a final 60 days before it dismisses the application, Overdrive reports, and refiling means paying the $300 again. Overdrive's September 2026 count found that 95% of applications sitting in "Pending" had no insurance filing on record.

What works:

• Before you apply: get an insurance quote you can bind the day your docket number is issued, and pick a process agent. Ask the insurance agent who does the FMCSA filing and how many business days it takes to show up.
• The day after you apply: send your USDOT and docket numbers to your insurance agent and process agent.
• About 10 days after publication: look yourself up in public search. If either filing is missing, call your agent first, then FMCSA.

Motus also says why an application is pending, for example "Pending – Process Agent (Form BOC-3) Filings" or "Pending – Financial Responsibility Filings." That tells you who to chase.

What changed with Motus

• New USDOT and docket numbers are random, to make fraud harder. Existing numbers didn't change, and MC numbers still exist.
• New USDOT numbers show a letter suffix for the type of registration, such as C for a property carrier with operating authority or V for a private carrier. You don't have to put it on your truck.
• Each new authority gets its own docket number, even if you applied for carrier and broker authority together.
• No paper. Since September 30, 2025, FMCSA takes payment only by debit or credit card.

Common problems

"Link a USDOT Number" is grayed out. Your email was probably set up as a Transportation Service Provider. FMCSA's fix: sign in, open the TSP account page, click the gear icon, choose Close Account and confirm. The claim prompt should then appear. If it doesn't, open a ticket at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov with your USDOT number, the company official's name and Login.gov email, and proof of ownership such as an IRS letter or articles of incorporation.

Your number isn't listed when you log in. You're probably using a different email from the one on your old FMCSA Portal account. Log in with that email, or contact FMCSA.

The identity check keeps failing. Use good light and an unexpired ID, and try the phone camera instead of a webcam. If it still fails, use an in-person enrollment center or contact FMCSA.

Your biennial update is overdue. FMCSA has suspended inactivating USDOT numbers for missed updates due on or after June 1, 2026, while Motus settles in. Do it anyway when you can. It's free in Motus. Any message saying you'll be shut down for a missed "off-cycle update" is a scam.

Your application has been pending for weeks. Check the reason Motus shows. Most stuck applications are waiting on the insurance or BOC-3 filing, not on FMCSA.

Getting help, and avoiding fake help

FMCSA's contact center is 1-800-832-5660, or open a ticket at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov. In September 2026 FMCSA extended its hours to 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern on weekdays, plus Saturdays. FMCSA asks you not to open duplicate tickets for the same problem; follow up on the one you have.

Only FMCSA can fix your Motus record, and it doesn't charge to do it. Be wary of anyone who calls offering to "unlock," "activate" or "fix" your Motus account for a fee, or who sends a link to a Motus site that isn't motus.dot.gov. How to spot FMCSA and Motus scams.

Once you're registered

Your first year brings the new entrant safety audit, the biennial update, UCR and drug testing deadlines. Enter your USDOT number to see which apply to you and when, free, from FMCSA's public data.