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Applying for a new USDOT number in Motus

For companies that do not have a USDOT number yet. What to decide first, what to have ready, and how the application flows.

Person at a sunlit wooden desk filling out a printed application form on a clipboard

Do you need a USDOT number?

According to FMCSA, a USDOT number is generally required if you operate in interstate commerce and your vehicles are over 10,000 lbs, you carry 9 to 15 passengers (including the driver) for compensation, you carry 16 or more passengers, or you haul hazardous materials. Some states also require one for intrastate work. FMCSA's USDOT Wizard asks a short set of questions to tell you whether you need only a USDOT number or a USDOT number and operating authority.

How a new application works in Motus

  1. Sign in with Login.gov and complete the identity check. See our Login.gov and ID check guide.
  2. Create your user profile, then a new company account.
  3. Choose to start a new registration and apply for what you need: a USDOT number, operating authority, or both. FMCSA says the flow is similar to the USDOT Wizard.
  4. Pay any government fees. FMCSA records payments for registration fees through Pay.gov.
  5. Track the status of your application inside Motus.

What to have ready

  • Your exact legal business name and any DBA, matching your formation papers.
  • Your principal place of business address. FMCSA reviews addresses and is required to reject an application if the address could never meet the federal definition of a principal place of business.
  • Your EIN or other tax ID, and your ownership structure and company officers.
  • Your type of operation, cargo, and counts of vehicles and drivers.

Business verification. FMCSA says Motus checks key business information such as legal name, principal place of business, ownership structure and company officers. Making these match across every document is the single best way to avoid delays.

Government fees

  • USDOT number: FMCSA says there is no charge.
  • Operating authority: $300 for each type of authority, non-refundable.
  • BOC-3: filed by a process agent company, which sets its own charge.
  • UCR: a separate annual fee paid through the UCR plan.

Our service fee, if you use us, is separate from these and quoted before we start.

Where this information comes from

We write these guides from FMCSA's public pages and update them when FMCSA changes its guidance. Check the source before you act: