New MC authority: the first 90 days, step by step

FMCSA moved registration to Motus at motus.dot.gov on May 19, 2026 (FMCSA). Some FMCSA pages still describe the older system; the deadlines here come from the regulations.

What it costs: the official fees

The fees FMCSA, the IRS and the UCR Plan set are small. Insurance, the BOC-3, drug testing, plates and fuel tax are priced by an insurer, a vendor or your state.

For one truck over 75,000 lbs first used in July, the fixed government fees come to $906.25: $300 authority, $55 UCR, $550 heavy vehicle use tax and one $1.25 query, before plates, fuel tax and insurance.

Three clocks, not one

The first 90 days run on three different start dates. The 20-day filing window, for example, counts from the day FMCSA publishes your application, not from the day you apply.

Days 1 to 35: apply, then watch the FMCSA Register

You need a USDOT number if your truck, or truck and trailer, is rated "Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating, or gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight, of 4,536 kg (10,001 pounds) or more, whichever is greater" and you run interstate (FMCSA). If you haul freight owned by others for pay, you also need operating authority, the MC number. Both are applied for together. "Separate fees must be submitted for each kind of authority sought. Please note that there are NO REFUNDS for mistaken applications." (FMCSA)

While FMCSA reviews it, the application is published: "A summary of the application will be published as a preliminary grant of authority in the FMCSA Register to give notice to the public in case anyone wishes to oppose the application." (49 CFR 365.109T(b)). That publication date starts clock 2. Have your insurance agent and process agent lined up before you apply so both filings go in as soon as it appears.

Your federal minimum for general freight in a truck over 10,000 lbs is $750,000 of liability coverage (49 CFR 387.9). The BOC-3 names a process agent in each state: "Every motor carrier (of property or passengers) shall make a designation for each State in which it is authorized to operate and for each State traversed during such operations." (49 CFR 366.4T).

When does my MC authority become active?

After the 10-day protest period, if nobody objects and your filings are in: "If no one opposes the application, the grant published in the FMCSA Register will become effective by issuance of a certificate, permit, or license." (49 CFR 365.115(b)). FMCSA adds that "operating authority documents are sent out within 3-4 business days after number has been granted." (FMCSA). You can check the grant date in FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance search under "Authority History".

Don't take a load before the grant. Running for-hire without registration carries "a minimum penalty of $13,676 per violation" (49 CFR part 386, appendix B (g)(1)).

Before the first load: the checklist

• Drug test. "Prior to the first time a driver performs safety-sensitive functions for an employer, the driver shall undergo testing for controlled substances as a condition prior to being used" (49 CFR 382.301(a)). As your own employer you also need a consortium: "Working with a C/TPA to manage a drug and alcohol testing program is a requirement of all owner-operators (employers who employ themselves as CDL drivers, typically a single-driver operation)." (FMCSA Clearinghouse).
• Clearinghouse query. A pre-employment query on yourself at $1.25, then "at least once per year for information for all employees subject to controlled substance and alcohol testing under this part" (49 CFR 382.701).
• A registered ELD. "A motor carrier required to use an ELD must use only an ELD that is listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's registered ELDs list" (49 CFR 395.22(a)). Check the device in the ELD check before you buy; FMCSA revoked dozens in 2026 (ELD revocations).
• USDOT number on the truck. "The motor carrier must display the number on each self-propelled CMV" (49 CFR 390.19T(h)(3)).
• IRP plates and IFTA license from your base state, for a power unit running in two or more jurisdictions that "has two Axles and a Gross Vehicle Weight or Registered Gross Vehicle Weight in excess of 26,000 pounds", has three or more axles, or runs in a combination over 26,000 lbs (Pennsylvania DMV, quoting the IRP definition; IFTA Articles).
• UCR. $55 for 2027 at ucr.gov. Details: UCR 2027 guide.
• EIN for Form 2290. The IRS asks you to "allow four weeks for your new EIN to be established in our systems before filing your Form 2290." (IRS). Then file 2290 by the end of the month after the truck's first use: 2290 guide.

Months 3 to 12: the new-entrant safety audit

"The New Entrant will be monitored during the initial 18-month period." (FMCSA). On timing, the regulation says: "A safety audit will be conducted on the new entrant, once it has been in operation for enough time to have sufficient records to allow the agency to evaluate the adequacy of its basic safety management controls. This period will generally be at least 3 months." (49 CFR 385.307). FMCSA's program page puts it "within 12 months after beginning operations".

Sixteen violations fail the audit on their own, including having no drug and alcohol testing program, running without the required insurance, and no record of duty status on 51% or more of the records checked (49 CFR 385.321(b)). On a failed audit, FMCSA says: "If failed, New Entrants must satisfactorily implement a corrective action to correct safety management practices. Failure to do so will result in immediate revocation of U.S. DOT registration." The full list and how to prepare: safety audit prep.

Getting paid while you wait on brokers

Factoring companies buy your broker invoices for cash up front, for a fee. Several say on their own sites that they take new authorities; their wording is collected on factoring for new authorities, and what it costs per $10,000 is in the real cost of factoring.

Not legal advice. FMCSA, the IRS, the UCR Plan and your base state are the authority on each step. Not affiliated with FMCSA.