You are required to obtain a USDOT number if you have a vehicle that:

- Is used to transport the types and quantities of hazardous materials requiring a safety permit in intrastate commerce (see 49 CFR 385.403).

OR

- 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; or
- Is designed or used to transport more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; or
- Is designed or used to transport more than 15 passengers, including the driver, and is not used to transport passengers for compensation;

AND is involved in Interstate commerce:

Trade, traffic, or transportation in the United States—

Between a place in a State and a place outside of such State (including a place outside of the United States);
Between two places in a State through another State or a place outside of the United States; or
Between two places in a State as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating or terminating outside the State or the United States.

You are required by FMCSA to obtain a USDOT Number and comply with the Federal Regulations.

It is the responsibility of motor carrier operators and drivers to know and comply with all applicable Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Safety compliance and safe operations translate into saved lives and protected property. We believe the information in this package, when effectively applied, will contribute to safer motor carrier operations and highways.
States that Require a DOT Number

Apart from federal regulations, some states require their intrastate commercial motor vehicle registrants to obtain a USDOT Number. These states include:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
New Jersey
New York
Nebraska
Nevada
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

For intrastate motor carrier registration, check with your responsible state agency.

Operating Authority is a motor carrier’s legal right to operate a commercial motor vehicle in the United States and is referred to by many terms, including Interstate Authority, FMCSA Authority, Motor Carrier Authority or an MC Number.

- Common, Contract or Broker Authority (MC)
Persons or companies providing or arranging property, passenger or household goods transportation for a fee (i.e. for-hire) to the general public and/or shippers.

- Mexican-Domiciled Authority (MX)
Persons or companies providing or arranging transportation for a fee to the general public and/or shippers that are based or domiciled in Mexico.

- Freight Forwarder Authority (FF)
Person or companies who take title of goods and specialize in managing storage, consolidation, warehousing, and shipping of those goods.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/types-operating-authority

How Do I Check My Application Status?

To check whether your operating authority has been issued(granted),

Go to the SAFER website
See bold heading “FMCSA Searches”
Click on “Licensing & Insurance”
Enter MC Number or USDOT Number in the appropriate box and click “search”
Click “HTML”
Scroll to bottom and click on “Authority History.” This page will display the granted date of the operating authority

DOT requires every Interstate Authorized For Hire Carrier operating under their own operating authority have a current BOC-3 form on file with the office of motor carrier safety. The BOC-3 form is a list of registered process agents for each state, who, in the event of a legal action being presented against the motor carrier by an individual or legal entity from outside the carrier’s base state, would accept the papers being served on the carrier’s behalf and would then forward them to the carrier being served. A BOC-3 must be filed with FMCSA before operating authority is granted. Freight Brokers are also required to have a current BOC-3 on file. All FMCSA motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders are required to have a BOC-3 on file with the FMCSA in order to get your authority granted. A BOC-3 is also required in order to reinstate an MC or FF number that has been revoked. Only a process agent, on behalf of the applicant (carrier), can file Form BOC-3 (Designation of Process Agents) with the FMCSA. A broker or freight forwarder applicant, without CMVs, can file Form BOC-3 on their own behalf. Only one completed form may be on file. It must include all states for which agency designations are required. One copy must be retained by the carrier or broker at its principal place of business.

Please request your free 5 min consultation or book a 30 min consultation with one of our Pros.

Intrastate commerce – You’re hauling loads in only one state.
Interstate commerce – You’re going across state or country borders for your loads.
It’s also considered interstate if you have to cross state borders to deliver in the same state you started in. If what you’re hauling started in or will end in another state or country, that is interstate commerce too.If you perform trade, traffic, or transportation exclusively in your business’s domicile state, this is considered intrastate commerce.

If your trade, traffic, or transportation is one of the following, this is considered interstate commerce.
Between a place in a state and a place outside of such state (including a place outside of the United States)
Between two places in a state through another state or a place outside of the United States
Between two places in a state as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating or terminating outside the state or the United States

IFTA is an agreement between all the U.S states except Alaska and Hawaii and most of the provinces/territories of Canada. This agreement establishes the concept of one fuel use license and one administering base jurisdiction for each licensee. The licensee’s base jurisdiction will be the administrator of this agreement and execute all the provisions with respect to the licensee.

Anyone holding a license under the International Fuel Tax Agreement is required to file an IFTA Quarterly Fuel Tax Return.

Biennial Updates

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires all entities under its jurisdiction to update their information every two years. You are required to provide this update every two years even if your company has not changed its information, has ceased interstate operations since the last update, or is no longer in business and you did not notify FMCSA.

Failure to complete a Biennial Update will result in deactivation of your USDOT number and may result in civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, not to exceed $10,000.

The bill of lading (BOL) works as a receipt of freight services, a contract between a freight carrier and shipper and a document of title. The bill of lading is a legally binding document providing the driver and the carrier all the details needed to process the freight shipment and invoice it correctly.

- Pre-employment screening
- Post-accident testing
- Random tests-Reasonable suspicion tests
- Return-to-duty tests
- Follow-up tests

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a business structure allowed by state statute. Each state may use different regulations, you should check with your state if you are interested in starting a Limited Liability Company.

Owners of an LLC are called members. Most states do not restrict ownership, so members may include individuals, corporations, other LLCs and foreign entities. There is no maximum number of members. Most states also permit “single-member” LLCs, those having only one owner.

A few types of businesses generally cannot be LLCs, such as banks and insurance companies. Check your state’s requirements and the federal tax regulations for further information. There are special rules for foreign LLCs.

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN.

Freight factoring, also called transportation factoring, trucking factoring, or freight bill factoring, is a process in which the person or business that delivers a load sells their invoice to a factoring company. his is often a better alternative than waiting a month or longer for a broker to pay the invoice

- Employment Application
- Medical Examiner’s Certificate
- Copy of Driver’s License
- Road Test Certificate
- Motor Vehicle Records
- Annual Driver’s Certificate of Violations
- Annual Driving Record Review
- Pre-Employment Drug & Alcohol Test Results
- Drug & Alcohol Testing Program/Policy
- Previous Employer Requests & Responses
- Entry-Level Training

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential, also known as TWIC®, is required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act for workers who need access to secure areas of the nation’s maritime facilities and vessels. TSA conducts a security threat assessment (background check) to determine a person’s eligibility and issues the credential. U.S. citizens and immigrants in certain immigration categories may apply for the credential. Most mariners licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard also require a credential. Regarding card usage and facility access requirements, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard.
A TWIC card allows transportation professionals (such as truckers) and U.S. Coast Guard to enter and conduct business at ports, government ports, and any other government maritime facility.

The forms BMC-91 or BMC-91X are both used to make liability insurance filings with the FMCSA. The insurance company making the filing maintains their own supply of forms. However, many insurance carriers are set up to make the required insurance filings to FMCSA electronically.

Motor carriers seeking operating authority (MC Number) must obtain insurance policy with an MCS-90 endorsement from their insurance provider. This endorsement allows for federal filings of insurance, such as BMC-91/91X (liability) and BMC-34 (cargo).