All motor carriers, brokers, and leasing companies that haul across state lines or within a state that adheres to the UCR program, are required to register their US DOT Numbers with the Unified Carrier Registration.
All UCR filings will be completed during normal business hours.
Starting January 1, 2024, all relevant companies in the trucking industry, that lack Unified Carrier Registration compliance, may be subjected to citations, fines, and penalties imposed by individual states, the DOT and the board of the Unified Carrier Registration. You will also not be allowed to renew your trucks' registrations as well as IFTA. In order to ensure complete compliance, the aforementioned freight hauling companies are advised to verify that the number of trucks requiring registration matches the amount listed on the MCS-150 / Biennial Update that was last filed (this number will affect filing fee and truck tier pricing). Please note, pricing is for the UCR filing fee, processing fee, filing fee and there may be additional fees for processing time as well as a certificate.
For brokers, it is recommended to complete this registration under the 1-2 trucks section if business operations include interstate activity (if brokering any loads outside of the state the company is operating in).
Please note, the total listed fee at checkout is for the UCR fee as assessed by the UCR board for the year and the number of trucks registered, service charge, and there may be additional fees for processing time.
MCS-150 / Biennial updates are required for trucking companies and brokers to maintain their US DOT number. Updates need to be filed biennially or with greater frequency if the following changes are made to the business:
- Modification to the company name
- Change of the business address
- Switching operating authority type
- Qualifying as a hazardous materials carrier
- Adding/reducing number of vehicles in the company fleet
- Changing any other aspect of the business (if there is any uncertainty whether a business change requires an MCS-150 update, agents are available to help clarify the requirements)
Why is it important to file an MCS 150 update every time a change is made to a trucking business?
Agents recommend submitting an MCS-150 update with every business change so that the FMCSA can accurately calculate a company’s safety performance score and prevent any audits due to the truck count not matching the UCR (Unified Carrier Registration). The FMCSA’s new safety measurement system includes three metrics: Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA). Out-of-date or otherwise inaccurate data can negatively impact a trucking company’s safety scores and subsequently, the whole business.
For faster processing times, company officers should be prepared to input the company’s US DOT PIN number. If you do not have a US DOT PIN number you can request a new one. You can proceed without submitting a US DOT PIN, at which point an agent will reach out via email with the necessary forms to be signed and completed. This process does take longer.