How to Get an MC Number and DOT Number in 2026

How to get an MC number, step by step

You get an MC number by applying to FMCSA (the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) for for-hire operating authority. First-time applicants request the USDOT number and the authority in the same online application (49 CFR 365.106T). Here is the order the federal rules set out:

1. Apply online. Pick the type of authority, such as motor carrier of property. Pay the $300 filing fee for each type (49 CFR 360.3T).
2. FMCSA reviews it. Staff check the application for completeness and against FMCSA's safety fitness policy. A materially incomplete application is rejected (49 CFR 365.109T).
3. It's published. A summary appears in the FMCSA Register as a preliminary grant, so anyone can object.
4. File insurance within 20 days. Your insurer files proof of liability coverage (Form BMC-91 or 91X, or a BMC-82 surety bond) within 20 days of publication.
5. File the BOC-3 within 20 days. The BOC-3 names a process agent in each state you run in or through (49 CFR 365.109T, part 366).
6. Wait out the 10-day protest period. If no one opposes, the grant becomes effective when FMCSA issues the certificate (49 CFR 365.115).

Don't haul until the authority is active and your insurance is in effect. 49 CFR 387.7(a) bars any motor carrier from operating until the required coverage is in place.

What is an MC number, and what is a DOT number?

The USDOT number identifies your company for safety oversight. The MC number is the docket number that comes with operating authority, the permission to haul regulated freight for pay across state lines.

A commercial motor vehicle (CMV) under federal safety rules is one used in interstate commerce with a gross weight or weight rating of 10,001 lb or more. Vehicles hauling placardable hazmat or carrying enough passengers also count (49 CFR 390.5T). Interstate commerce includes a trip that stays in one state when the freight started or ends outside it.

If you haul only your own company's goods, you're a private carrier. You need the USDOT number but not for-hire authority. If you run only inside one state, your state's rules apply, so check with your state DOT.

How to get a DOT number

A new company gets its USDOT number in the same FMCSA application as its authority. A private carrier that needs no authority just completes the registration part. The rule says you file before you begin operations (49 CFR 390.19T).

After that, you owe an update every 24 months. The month depends on the last digit of your USDOT number: 1 is January, 2 is February, and so on through 0 for October. The next-to-last digit decides the year. Odd means odd-numbered years, and even means even-numbered years. Miss it and your USDOT number can be deactivated (49 CFR 390.19T(b)).

How much is trucking authority?

Trucking authority costs $300 in federal filing fees for one type of authority. That fee is the same in Texas, Georgia, Florida, or any other state. Everything else depends on your quotes.

The fee is nonrefundable once FMCSA accepts the filing, even if the application is later denied or withdrawn (49 CFR 360.3T(c)).

The insurance minimum you have to carry

Federal rules set the minimum public liability coverage by what you haul (49 CFR 387.9):

• $750,000 for for-hire general freight in a vehicle of 10,001 lb or more
• $1,000,000 for oil and most hazardous materials
• $5,000,000 for bulk and other high-risk hazmat

These are floors, not quotes. A broker or shipper can require more by contract. The cost to start a trucking company guide walks through a full startup budget.

MC number: how long does it take?

No regulation sets a total processing time for an MC number. The rules set these clocks after FMCSA publishes your application:

• 10 days for anyone to file a protest (49 CFR 365.115, 365.203T)
• 20 days to get your insurance filing and BOC-3 on file (49 CFR 365.109T)

FMCSA's April 29, 2026 Motus notice (91 FR 23144) says paper forms take a minimum of eight business days for initial review. Applications flagged for extra vetting take longer. The same notice says Motus requires identity and business verification for new applicants.

Your authority isn't permanent on day one, either. New carriers go through an 18-month new entrant monitoring period. It includes a safety audit, generally after at least 3 months of operation (49 CFR 385.307). The authority becomes permanent only after you complete that program (49 CFR 365.110).

Motus: are MC numbers going away?

FMCSA is replacing its old registration system with a new one called Motus. The April 2026 notice said Motus Phase II, planned for the second quarter of 2026, would open to all regulated entities. First-time applicants would use it to apply for a USDOT number and authority.

On MC numbers, the notice was clear about the near term. Phase II would not eliminate MC and FF docket numbers, add safety registration, or change BOC-3 filing. FMCSA said it would do those in later releases. It also said it expected to propose a rule in spring 2026 requiring Motus for all registrants.

As of September 28, 2026, a search of the Federal Register found no proposed or final rule that removes MC numbers. The current eCFR text still describes the MC docket number. Before you apply, confirm the current process on FMCSA's Registration Modernization Resources Hub, the page the notice names for updates.

MC number lookup and what goes on the truck

To look up an MC or USDOT number, use FMCSA's public registration search. The Motus notice says the public can search a company's registration record there and view the FMCSA Register.

On the truck, 49 CFR 390.21T requires your legal or single trade name and "USDOT" followed by your number. It goes on both sides of the power unit, in contrasting letters readable from 50 feet in daylight. The rule doesn't list the MC number. The Motus notice adds that its new USDOT number suffixes aren't required for marking vehicles.

What to do next

Price the whole startup, not just the $300. The trucking startup cost calculator adds the federal fees to your insurance and truck quotes. Figure your UCR with the UCR fee calculator, and read the UCR registration guide for deadlines.

If you'd rather run under a carrier's authority first, see how lease purchase trucking works.