To update your DOT number, file Form MCS-150 through the FMCSA Portal at fmcsa.dot.gov, or mail a completed paper form to the FMCSA Office of Registration in Washington, DC. Online filing takes about 15 to 20 minutes and is free. Every carrier must file at least once every 24 months, and within 30 days of any material change to the business.
When You Have to File
Two things trigger an update: the biennial cycle and changes to your operation.
The Biennial Schedule
Every USDOT number holder files a biennial update every 24 months, even when nothing has changed. Your deadline is set by the last two digits of your USDOT number. The next-to-last digit determines the year: odd digit means odd calendar years, even digit means even years. The final digit sets the month, running 1 for January through 0 for October. A number ending in 47, for instance, files by the last day of July in every odd year.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When Am I Required to File a Biennial Update
Changes That Require an Update Within 30 Days
Outside the biennial cycle, you have 30 days to report any change to your company’s information.1Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When Am I Required to File a Biennial Update The common ones:
- A new legal name, trade name, physical address, or mailing address.
- Switching between private and for-hire operation.
- A change in the number of power units or drivers.
- Starting to haul hazardous materials or a new cargo category.
- Going temporarily or permanently out of service.
What to Gather Before You File
The form is the Motor Carrier Identification Report, Form MCS-150.2Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Form MCS-150 and Instructions – Motor Carrier Identification Report Most motor carriers use the standard version. Intermodal equipment providers use Form MCS-150C instead.3Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Form MCS-150C and Instructions – Intermodal Equipment Provider Identification Report Download the current version each time you file; FMCSA does not accept expired versions of any MCS-150 series form.4Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Reactivate My USDOT Number
Have the following ready before you start:
- Your current legal name and any trade names.
- Physical and mailing addresses.
- EIN or Social Security number.
- Number of power units and drivers.
- Total miles driven in the past year.
- Types of cargo carried and type of operation.
Filing online is usually faster than paper because the portal pre-populates fields from your existing record.
Filing Online Through the FMCSA Portal
The FMCSA Portal is the only platform for online updates. As of January 2025, all registration functions moved into the portal to meet the federal mandate for multi-factor authentication.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Registration Forms You need a Login.gov account linked to your FMCSA Portal profile to sign in.
Once you log in as a Company Official, open the Registration menu and choose “File a biennial update (MCS-150),” “Change of address,” or the option that matches your situation.5Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Registration Forms If a staff member or third party files for you, they need an Associate account with the “Portal View Sensitive Company Information” and “Portal Modify Company Information” roles, and the Company Official has to approve those roles before any changes can go through.
The system walks you through each field on the MCS-150. Review the pre-populated data, correct anything that has changed, and submit. The portal returns a confirmation number. Save it. If a question ever comes up about whether you filed on time, that number is your proof. There is no fee to update.
Filing by Mail
If online filing isn’t an option, download the MCS-150, fill it out, and mail it to:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Attention: Office of Registration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Room W65-206
Washington, DC 205906Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Updating Your Registration or Authority
Paper filings take noticeably longer to process. If your biennial deadline is close, file online so a delayed paper submission doesn’t push you past the due date and trigger deactivation.
Confirming the Update Posted
After submitting, check the SAFER Company Snapshot on the FMCSA website to confirm your changes appear in the public record.7Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FMCSA Registration Online submissions usually appear within a few business days. Paper filings can take several weeks. If your update hasn’t posted after a reasonable period, FMCSA offers help by phone, email, and live chat, including a co-browse feature that lets an agent walk through the portal with you.4Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Reactivate My USDOT Number
Keep the confirmation number and a copy of the submitted form in your compliance files. During a roadside inspection or compliance review, being able to show proof of timely filing can be the difference between a clean record and an enforcement action.
When an Update Isn’t Enough: Sales, Mergers, and Entity Changes
A USDOT number belongs to a specific legal person or entity. It cannot be sold, transferred, rented, or leased, and FMCSA will deactivate any number it finds being used by an entity other than the one it was issued to.8Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT or MC Number How that plays out depends on your structure:
- A sole proprietor who sells the business keeps the USDOT number personally. The buyer must apply for a new one.
- When a corporation is sold, the company is a separate legal person from its owners, so the USDOT number stays with the company. New owners must update the MCS-150 within 30 days to reflect the change.8Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT or MC Number
- In a merger where the surviving corporation keeps operating under its existing legal identity, the USDOT number stays.
- In a merger where the original entity dissolves under state law, the new or successor entity must get its own USDOT number, and the old one has to be deactivated by filing an MCS-150 marked “out-of-business.”8Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. DO NOT Sell, Purchase, or Lease a USDOT or MC Number
There is one narrow exception. A sole proprietor incorporating the business may keep the existing USDOT number and simply update the tax ID, provided the new entity operates with the same officials, address, employees, and assets.9Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Do I Need a New USDOT Number if I Am Changing My Company’s Legal Name or Form of Business
One related note: your USDOT number and any operating authority (MC, FF, or MX number) are separate registrations. Updating one does not update the other.10Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Is Operating Authority (MC Number) and Who Needs It
Update Your Truck Door Markings Too
Any change to your legal name, trade name, or USDOT number has to show up on your vehicles. Federal rules require every self-propelled commercial motor vehicle to display the operating carrier’s legal name (or a single trade name) and the USDOT number on both sides, in lettering that contrasts sharply with the background and is readable from 50 feet during daylight.11eCFR. 49 CFR 390.21 – Marking of Self-Propelled CMVs and Intermodal Equipment Magnetic signs and removable decals are fine as long as they meet the same size and legibility standards.
If another company’s name also appears on the vehicle, common with leased equipment, the operating carrier’s name and USDOT number must appear with the words “operated by” in front. This gets missed after name changes and gets flagged at inspections.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
The statutory penalty for failing to file a required update is up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000 per violation.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 US Code 521 – Civil Penalties For-hire carriers of passengers and freight, freight forwarders, and brokers can face additional penalties beyond those amounts.13Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Are the Penalties for Failure to Submit My Biennial Update FMCSA also adjusts civil penalties periodically for inflation, so the actual figures can run higher than the statutory baseline.
The more immediate consequence is deactivation. FMCSA can deactivate your USDOT number for any failure to comply with updating requirements.13Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Are the Penalties for Failure to Submit My Biennial Update A deactivated number means you cannot legally operate in interstate commerce. Get pulled into a weigh station with a deactivated number and you’ll be placed out of service on the spot. For most small carriers, the lost revenue from being shut down even briefly exceeds the fine.
Reactivating a Deactivated Number
If your number was deactivated for a missed biennial update, reinstatement is straightforward: submit the current version of the appropriate MCS-150 series form. Check your current status on the SAFER Company Snapshot page before starting.4Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Reactivate My USDOT Number
Reactivation after a New Entrant revocation is a separate process with its own steps under 49 CFR Part 385, Subpart D, and is not handled by simply refiling the MCS-150.14eCFR. 49 CFR Part 385 Subpart D – New Entrant Safety Assurance Program And if your operating authority was also affected, that reinstatement runs through a different portal workflow. Don’t assume that reactivating your USDOT number automatically restores your MC number.