The Filing That Keeps Your USDOT Number Active

How to find your MCS-150 deadline, what to prepare, and how to avoid a deactivated record.

Every entity with a USDOT number is required to update its registration information with FMCSA at least once every two years by filing a biennial update — most commonly on Form MCS-150. The requirement applies even if nothing about your business has changed, even if you run a single truck, and even if you have stopped operating, because FMCSA expects to be told that too. Missing the deadline can lead to deactivation of your USDOT number, so it is worth knowing exactly when yours is due and what the filing involves.

Who Must File

The biennial update applies to entities holding a USDOT number, including for-hire motor carriers, private carriers, and other registrants. A few points trip people up:

• No changes still means filing. The update confirms your information as much as it changes it. "Everything is the same" is a filing, not an exemption.

• Size does not matter. A one-truck owner-operator with their own authority has the same biennial obligation as a large fleet.

• Shutting down does not end the obligation silently. If you have ceased operations, FMCSA expects you to report that through the update process rather than simply stop filing.

Separately, certain changes — such as a legal name or address change — should be reported to FMCSA promptly under its current instructions rather than held for your next biennial cycle.

Finding Your Deadline

Your filing schedule is encoded in the USDOT number itself:

• The month comes from the last digit: 1 means January, 2 February, 3 March, 4 April, 5 May, 6 June, 7 July, 8 August, 9 September, and 0 October. No filing months fall in November or December.

• The year comes from the next-to-last digit: if it is odd, you file in odd-numbered years; if it is even, you file in even-numbered years.

• The filing is due by the end of your assigned month.

A worked example: a USDOT number ending in 46 has a last digit of 6, which means June, and a next-to-last digit of 4, which is even — so its biennial update is due by the end of June in every even-numbered year.

Because schedules and procedures are governed by FMCSA's current rules, confirm your specific deadline through FMCSA Registration rather than relying on memory or on a third party's reminder letter.

What You Will Need

Gather this information before you start the filing:

• Legal business name and any DBA, exactly as registered.

• Principal place of business and mailing addresses.

• Employer Identification Number, or SSN where applicable for sole proprietors.

• Company operation type and operation classifications.

• Cargo classifications you actually haul.

• Number of power units and trailers in service.

• Number of drivers, including how many hold CDLs.

• Vehicle miles traveled for the most recent 12-month period, along with the year those miles correspond to.

• Access to your company's FMCSA registration account. Current official online instructions direct updates to existing registration accounts through the FMCSA Portal using Login.gov. Confirm the current access method on the FMCSA registration forms page before you start rather than assuming an old credential or bookmark still applies.

Accuracy matters beyond box-checking: figures like power units and mileage feed into how FMCSA's safety systems evaluate your operation, so a stale or careless number can follow you around long after the filing.

How to File

The biennial update is filed directly with FMCSA. The current MCS-150 row on the FMCSA registration forms page says online updates to existing registration accounts use the FMCSA Portal with Login.gov. Access methods and filing steps can change as FMCSA updates its systems and instructions, so begin at that official page each time rather than relying on an old bookmark or secondhand guide.

Make sure you file the correct variant of the form:

• MCS-150 — the standard motor carrier identification report, used by most carriers.

• MCS-150B — the combined identification report and hazardous materials safety permit application, for carriers that require a hazmat safety permit.

• MCS-150C — for intermodal equipment providers.

Filing directly with FMCSA is the baseline. Third-party filing services exist, but they are not required, and using one does not transfer your responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of what gets filed under your number.

What Happens If You Miss It

FMCSA can deactivate a USDOT number for failure to complete the biennial update, and civil penalties are possible under its regulations. Deactivation has practical consequences well beyond the fine print: brokers and shippers routinely check carrier status before tendering freight, and an inactive USDOT number surfaces immediately in those checks. It can also complicate insurance renewals and state credentialing that reference your federal record. If you have already missed your deadline, file as soon as possible and follow FMCSA's current guidance on bringing an inactive record back into good standing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming "no changes" means no filing. This is the most common miss. Put your month on a permanent calendar with a reminder ahead of it.

• Reporting stale numbers. Mileage from the wrong year or an equipment count that no longer matches your fleet undermines the record FMCSA holds on you.

• Filing the wrong form variant. Hazmat safety permit carriers and intermodal equipment providers have their own versions of the form.

• Paying an official-looking solicitation. Around filing season, carriers receive letters and calls that imitate government correspondence and charge steep fees for a filing FMCSA processes directly. Verify anything you receive against FMCSA's own pages before paying anyone.

• Waiting until the last day. Account access and verification issues are solvable, but not always in a single afternoon. File early in your month.

Verify Before You File

This article is general information rather than legal advice. Filing requirements, procedures, and access methods are governed by FMCSA. Current official online MCS-150 instructions direct existing registration accounts to the FMCSA Portal with Login.gov. Before you file, confirm the current process, access method, deadline, and state of your own record through FMCSA Registration and the registration forms page. For state-administered credentials connected to your operation, such as IRP apportioned registration or IFTA, check with your base jurisdiction's motor carrier agency — those programs are separate from the federal biennial update.

The Short Version

Find your month from the last digit of your USDOT number and your year from the digit before it, put the deadline on a permanent calendar, gather accurate company and mileage figures, and follow the current online route on FMCSA's registration forms page. That page currently directs existing registration accounts to the FMCSA Portal with Login.gov; verify it each time in case FMCSA changes the instructions. A few minutes of attention every two years keeps your USDOT number active and your record clean — and spares you the scramble of reactivating a deactivated number while freight waits.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I have to file the biennial update if nothing has changed?
2. How do I find my MCS-150 filing month and year?
3. Is there a fee to file the biennial update?
4. How do I file the biennial update online now?
5. What is the difference between the MCS-150, MCS-150B, and MCS-150C?
6. Does the biennial update renew my operating authority?