How do you get a USDOT and MC number?
A USDOT number identifies your vehicles in FMCSA safety records and is required for most interstate commercial motor vehicles — it is free. An MC number is your interstate operating authority to haul regulated freight for hire, and it requires a filing fee, a BOC-3, and proof of insurance before it activates. You apply through Motus, FMCSA's registration system, which replaced the Unified Registration System in May 2026. FMCSA's own estimate for a new application is 20–25 business days, and protests are due within 10 days of your application appearing in the FMCSA Register.
How to get your USDOT and MC number
Decide which numbers you need
Nearly every interstate commercial motor vehicle needs a USDOT number. If you haul regulated freight for hire across state lines, you also need MC operating authority. Intrastate-only carriers in some states, like Florida, may have separate state requirements instead.
Register with the FMCSA
Apply through Motus, FMCSA's registration system. Motus replaced the Unified Registration System (URS) on 14 May 2026, so a URS login no longer opens an application. You provide your business details, vehicle and driver counts, and cargo classifications. The USDOT number is issued at no cost.
Apply for operating authority (MC)
For-hire carriers of regulated commodities file for MC authority and pay the FMCSA operating-authority fee (currently $300 per authority type). This is the step that separates for-hire carriers from private ones.
File your BOC-3 and insurance
Before authority activates, you must have a BOC-3 (process agents in every state) on file and the required liability insurance — typically $750,000 to $1,000,000 — filed with FMCSA by your insurer.
Clear the vetting period
Your application is published in the FMCSA Register and protests are due within 10 days of that; FMCSA's own estimate for the application as a whole is 20–25 business days. Once active, you can legally operate for hire in interstate commerce.
Keep it compliant
After activation, keep your MCS-150 updated every two years, maintain UCR registration, and stay current on insurance so your authority isn't revoked. Your MCS-150 month is not a date you pick — it is read off the USDOT number itself: the last digit sets the month (1 is January, on through 9 for September, and 0 is October) and the second-to-last decides whether you file in odd or even years.
Common questions
Is a USDOT number free?
Yes — the FMCSA issues USDOT numbers at no cost. The paid step is MC operating authority, which carries the FMCSA filing fee (currently $300 per authority type) plus your BOC-3 and insurance.
How long does it take to get MC authority?
FMCSA's own estimate is 20–25 business days for a new application — four to five weeks — and it can run eight weeks or more beyond that if the agency pulls the application for further review. Protests are due within 10 days of publication in the FMCSA Register. Your BOC-3 and insurance must be on file before authority can activate, so those are the parts worth having ready.
Do I need both a USDOT and an MC number?
If you operate commercial vehicles in interstate commerce you need a USDOT number. You also need an MC number if you haul regulated freight for hire across state lines. Some private or exempt operations need only the USDOT number.
Can I operate before my authority is active?
No. Hauling regulated freight for hire before your MC authority is active — or without the required insurance and BOC-3 on file — exposes you to fines and out-of-service orders.
What happened to URS — is that still where I apply?
No. FMCSA retired the Unified Registration System on 14 May 2026 and registration now runs in Motus, its new USDOT registration system. New applications, biennial MCS-150 updates, authority changes and BOC-3 filings all go through Motus; the URS and FMCSA Portal registration screens are closed. Your existing USDOT and MC numbers are unaffected — what changed is where you file, not what you hold.
Sources
- 49 CFR § 360.3T — the $300 application fee, charged per type of authority
- 49 CFR § 365.115 — protests against an application — due within 10 days of publication in the FMCSA Register
- 49 CFR § 387.9 — the minimum financial responsibility amounts, including the $750,000 for general freight
- FMCSA — Get an MC Number — FMCSA's own processing estimate for a new registration
- FMCSA — Move into Motus — the registration system that replaced URS on 14 May 2026
This guide is general information about US federal and state transportation regulation — it is not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not make you our client. Rules change, and how one applies depends on your own operation: check anything you intend to rely on against the primary source above, or call us and we will check it with you.