What Is a USDOT PIN and How Do You Get One?

A USDOT PIN is an eight-character alphanumeric code issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that lets a motor carrier’s company official set up an FMCSA Portal account and link it to the company’s USDOT number.¹ You only enter the PIN once, during initial account setup; after that, a Login.gov email address handles ongoing access to your records.² You request or reset it through the FMCSA SAFER system online, and it arrives either by email, by text, or by U.S. mail.

As of April 2020, FMCSA consolidated all separate MC and MX PINs into a single USDOT PIN, so there is only one code regardless of your registration type.¹

How to Request or Reset the PIN

The online request form asks for three things: your USDOT number, the name of the company official authorized to request the PIN, and that person’s title.³ Have your EIN ready as well, because the system uses it to verify your identity.¹ Enter the nine-digit EIN as one unbroken string, without dashes or spaces.

Your company name and address must match what FMCSA already has on file exactly. A small difference in punctuation or abbreviation can trigger a rejection, so check the FMCSA SAFER Company Snapshot for your registered information before you submit.

Delivery Options

The form gives you two ways to receive an existing PIN or a new one:³

Electronic delivery sends the PIN immediately to the email address or cell phone number on file with FMCSA. Check your spam folder if nothing arrives within a few minutes.¹
USPS mail sends a printed notice to the physical address on file. Expect seven to ten business days.¹

Electronic delivery is the practical choice when your contact information is current. If your registered email or phone number has changed and you haven’t updated it, you are stuck waiting for the mailed copy. Keep your contact details current with FMCSA even in quiet stretches when you have nothing else to file.

If the Online Form Won’t Work for You

Mexican-domiciled companies cannot request a PIN through the online system.³ Any carrier that runs into problems with the form, or that cannot access the registered email or physical office, can call FMCSA technical support at 1-800-832-5660 during normal business hours for PIN assistance.⁴

What You Use the PIN For

The PIN is a one-time authenticator that ties a company official’s Login.gov account to a specific USDOT number in the FMCSA Portal.⁵ Once the link is established, you make changes to your FMCSA records through the Portal without entering the PIN again.²

Portal access is how you file biennial MCS-150 updates, change your company name or address, and manage operating authority and insurance records. Every motor carrier in interstate commerce must file the MCS-150 update every 24 months. Missing that update can trigger civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000 per violation, and FMCSA will deactivate your USDOT number until you refile.⁶ A deactivated number means you are legally prohibited from conducting transportation until reactivated.⁷ The PIN is the door to the account you use for all of it.

The PIN also matters when your company official changes. The new person needs it to prove authorization and take over the Portal account for that USDOT number.

Keep the PIN Out of the Wrong Hands

FMCSA treats the USDOT PIN as personally identifiable information. Anyone with your PIN can reach your real FMCSA account, and USDOT numbers belong permanently to the assigned legal entity; they cannot be sold, transferred, or leased. If FMCSA finds someone else operating under your number, the agency will inactivate it.⁸

Phishing against motor carriers is common. FMCSA has said plainly that it never asks for sensitive information like Social Security numbers or PINs by email as part of the registration process, and it does not threaten same-day fines for non-response.⁸ An email demanding your PIN under threat of penalty is a scam. If you believe your PIN or USDOT number has been misused, call the FMCSA Contact Center at 1-800-832-5660 and follow the full identity-theft response steps FMCSA publishes for carriers.⁹

The PIN Is Being Retired: The Motus Transition

FMCSA is replacing its legacy registration systems with a new platform called Motus, and the agency plans to eliminate USDOT PINs entirely once the switch is complete.¹⁰ Phase I launched on December 8, 2025, and Phase II is planned for the second quarter of 2026, at which point the system becomes available to all regulated entities.¹¹ The FMCSA Portal’s registration functionality is scheduled to be permanently disabled on May 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM Eastern.

Under Motus, all access goes through Login.gov, and no PIN is required.¹⁰ Verification instead runs through a two-layer identity check: an individual check that photographs a government-issued ID and performs a biometric face match, and a separate business check run through a CLEAR partnership that confirms the company’s legal name, principal place of business, ownership, and officials.¹¹

What this means for you depends on where you stand right now. If you already have an FMCSA Portal account, you will link it to Motus using the same Login.gov email tied to that Portal account, and only the company official who set up the original account can claim the Motus account for the first time. If you don’t have a Portal account yet, request your PIN and set one up before May 14, 2026 while the PIN-based path is still open.¹² Waiting past that date means going through the heavier Motus verification from scratch.

1
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Request a USDOT Personal Identification Number (PIN)
2
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Don’t Have an FMCSA Portal Account to Make Online Changes?
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. USDOT PIN Request
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). PIN Triage
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. FMCSA Portal Registration User Guide for FMCSA Registered Entities and Associates
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. What Are the Penalties for Failure to Submit My Biennial Update?
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. How Do I Reactivate My USDOT Number?
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Fraud Alerts
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Registration Modernization FAQs
11
Federal Register. Availability of Motus, FMCSA’s New Registration System
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Important Steps You Must Take to Prepare for FMCSA’s New Registration System