Companies change names for a variety of reasons, including a change of ownership or taking on a name that seems more marketable. If you own a trucking company, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires you to complete certain steps to make the business name change official in its documentation. When do you change the name on your USDOT Number? Well, when you need to make the name change. We’ll go over how you can do that when you need to change your business name.
Submit a new Motor Carrier Identification Report (MCS-150)
As of December 2015, the FMCSA requires motor carriers changing names to complete the MSC-150 form. This form is not for first-time applicants wishing to obtain an identification number. They must use the Unified Registration System instead. Those completing the form due to a name change can select one of the following four options:
1. Apply online at the FMCSA Online Registration Page. The benefit of this option is that the name of your company updates immediately in FMCSA’s records. You should print a copy of your submitted form and keep it for your records. The FMCSA strongly encourages using this method since it has built-in checks for accuracy and asks simple yes or no questions. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
2. Completing a hard copy of the required form and sending it to the FMCSA by mail. If you choose this option, mail your completed forms to: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Office of Registration and Safety Information, Room W65-206, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20590. Upon receipt of your documents, it takes the FMCSA approximately four to six weeks to update its records.
3. Print, complete, upload, and scan a copy of the MSC-150 to FMCSA’s web form. You will receive a tracking number to follow the progress of your request once submitted.
4. Print, complete, and fax a copy of your form. Don’t forget to sign the form.
How to change the name associated with Department of Transportation (DOT) Number
If you intend to change the business name associated with your USDOT number, you should know that it doesn’t automatically change on your MC number when you go through the above process. That means you will need to go through the MC name change procedure to ensure that your new business name displays correctly in all systems. We’ve assisted clients with this in the past and the process can be painful. We highly recommend you reach out to a transportation compliance service for assistance.
Does your business need an insurance check-up with its new name?
Changing the name of your company is a great time to consider reviewing its insurance needs at the same time. At TruckInsuranceQuotes.com, we partner with dozens of insurance companies experienced in the trucking industry. Our own staff has years of trucking industry experience as well.
We invite you to learn more about the types of trucks our insurance partners cover along with the various policies available for each. Once you have done that, be sure to complete this truck insurance quote form to receive multiple competitive quotes from our partners. Saving money always feels good, but it can be especially motivating when you’re rebranding your trucking business under a new name.
Source:
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/how-do-i-change-company-name-associated-my-usdot-number-information