The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires any individual or company subject to its authority to update information associated with its United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) registration every two years. This is true even if all information has remained the same since the last update. The FMCSA also requires a biennial update from any motor carrier that has gone out of business and didn’t previously update it or no longer participates in interstate operations. You might wonder if you can just go to your local FMCSA office to update it. We’ll explain.
Penalties for not updating USDOT registration information.
The FMCSA enforces a $1,000 fine per day, up to a maximum of $10,000, for all parties that fail to update their information on time. Updates are due on the last day of the month that corresponds with the last digit of the USDOT registration number. For example, parties with a registration number ending in 1 file in January while those with a number ending in 0 update in October. No updates are due during the months of November and December. There is no charge to complete the update.
How to complete a USDOT Number update.
Since there are many local FMCSA offices, motor carriers and others under its jurisdiction might assume they can go there to complete the update. This is not true. All updates must take place online, by fax, postal mail, or email. Here are the instructions for each:
- Email: The participant must complete and sign an MCS-150 form. He or she can then upload the form to a computer and email it to the FMCSA as an attachment.
- Fax: Participants can fax a signed and complete MCS-150 form to 202-366-3477 or 606-330-3802.
- Online: Participants should navigate to the FMCSA Registration website and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the update. This is only for current, active USDOT registration numbers.
- Postal mail: After signing and completing the MCS-150 form, participants should mail it to the address listed on the form.
The easiest way to obtain the correct form is to call 800-832-5660 to request one. Please note that FMCSA operators cannot accept update information over the phone. Filing online is the fastest method since the FMCSA processes the information right away. Participants who use one of the three other methods should expect a wait time of up to four weeks. So, going to your local FMCSA office might not be the way to go for updating your USDOT Number.
Regular truck insurance updates are a good idea too.
It’s important to do insurance checks to make sure that your truck insurance still fits your business. Your situation might have changed significantly since you first obtained a policy. Our team of truck insurance agents would be happy to help you get the insurance you need to protect your business. You can get started with your truck insurance quotes by filling out our online form, giving us a call, or messaging us on LiveChat. We strive to make transportation insurance easy.
Source:
https://cms8.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/updating-your-registration