FMCSA Pauses USDOT Deactivations During Motus Transition

FMCSA Gives Registrants More Time During Motus Transition

Motor carriers and other FMCSA registrants with a biennial update due on or after June 1 now have additional time to complete it without having their USDOT number inactivated solely for a missed filing.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said September 10 that it has temporarily suspended enforcement of the biennial-update requirement and the related inactivation of USDOT numbers while the agency continues moving users into Motus, its newer USDOT registration system.

The announcement matters most to small carriers, owner-operators, brokers, freight forwarders, intermodal equipment providers and service companies that have encountered delays or uncertainty during the registration-system transition. Normally, a missed biennial update can lead to USDOT-number deactivation and may expose an entity to civil penalties.

FMCSA did not announce a date for ending the temporary relief. That means carriers should treat this as breathing room during a system transition—not as a reason to ignore registration housekeeping.

What FMCSA Changed

FMCSA said registrants whose biennial update was due on or after June 1, 2026, will receive extra time to complete the required filing. During the temporary suspension, the agency will not inactivate a USDOT number for failure to submit that affected biennial update.

The agency framed the move as an effort to reduce service disruptions as users transition to Motus. FMCSA launched the newer registration platform in May to consolidate registration activities that had been handled across older systems and processes.

Motus is intended to let regulated entities manage a range of registration tasks in one place, including:

• Applying for a USDOT number or operating authority.
• Filing a biennial update.
• Updating company names, addresses and business information.
• Requesting additional registration types.
• Reactivating a USDOT number or seeking reinstatement of operating authority when applicable.
• Tracking registration actions and submitting supporting documents.

The temporary policy specifically addresses biennial-update enforcement and USDOT-number inactivation tied to missing those updates. It does not mean every FMCSA registration obligation, insurance filing, authority requirement, safety rule or state requirement has been suspended.

What a Biennial Update Normally Requires

A biennial update is the recurring process through which regulated entities confirm or revise information held by FMCSA. It is commonly associated with the MCS-150 filing.

Under FMCSA's regular schedule, entities generally must update their information every 24 months, including when their information has not changed. The filing month is determined by the last digit of the USDOT number. For example, USDOT numbers ending in 9 are ordinarily assigned a September filing month, while numbers ending in 0 are assigned October.

The next-to-last digit determines whether the filing is due in an odd-numbered or even-numbered year. A registrant with an odd second-to-last digit files in odd-numbered years; an even second-to-last digit corresponds with even-numbered years.

Before this temporary enforcement pause, FMCSA warned that failure to complete a required update could result in USDOT-number deactivation and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000. The September 10 notice gives affected registrants more time, but FMCSA's underlying expectation remains that company records should ultimately be accurate and current.

Why Accurate Registration Data Still Matters

A USDOT record is more than a government database entry. Shippers, brokers, insurers, roadside inspectors, safety personnel and recruiting teams may use carrier information when evaluating a company or confirming its status.

Outdated details can create practical problems even when a company remains authorized to operate. Common trouble spots include:

• An old principal-business address or mailing address.
• Incorrect phone numbers or company contacts.
• Outdated vehicle, driver or cargo information.
• Changes in business structure, ownership or legal name.
• Incorrect operating classifications.
• Confusion about whether an entity's registration is active or whether another filing is still pending.

For carriers, accurate public-facing information can help reduce avoidable questions from brokers and customers. For recruiters and staffing agencies, current legal names and carrier details can help prevent mismatches during onboarding, background-screening coordination and employment verification.

The relief also should not be confused with a broad waiver of compliance. A carrier that has another registration, safety, insurance or authority issue should address that issue separately rather than assuming the biennial-update suspension resolves it.

Practical Steps for Carriers and Compliance Teams

Companies with an update due since June 1 should use the extra time deliberately. A rushed filing can create errors that take longer to correct than the original update.

1. Confirm whether your biennial update was due

Review the USDOT number's final two digits and compare them with FMCSA's filing schedule. Keep a record of the original due month, even though enforcement is temporarily paused.

2. Review the company record before starting

Gather the information your company will need to validate, such as the legal business name, physical and mailing addresses, contact information, operation type, equipment and driver counts, cargo classifications, and any relevant authority details.

3. Use Motus and document your activity

FMCSA directs users to Motus for registration actions. Save confirmation numbers, screenshots of completed submissions and copies of any correspondence with FMCSA. Those records can be useful if a filing is delayed, rejected or later questioned.

4. Do not submit duplicate support requests

FMCSA advises users who encounter a Motus issue to submit a ticket through its support process and avoid opening duplicate cases for the same problem. Repeated tickets can make it harder to track a single issue cleanly.

5. Escalate urgent registration problems

FMCSA says its Registration Customer Service Center can assist with immediate registration concerns. A carrier that faces an urgent business interruption, an authority-related question or a problem unrelated to the biennial-update pause should seek agency guidance promptly.

What Drivers Should Know

Most company drivers will not file a carrier's biennial update themselves. Still, drivers may be the first people to notice outdated information at roadside inspections, in dispatch paperwork or when a broker questions a carrier record.

Drivers should report suspected registration discrepancies to their safety or compliance department rather than trying to solve them at the roadside. This is particularly important if the issue involves company addresses, equipment records, authority status or information shown in a third-party carrier-verification system.

The temporary pause does not change drivers' core obligations involving CDLs, hours of service, vehicle inspections, drug and alcohol testing, hazardous-materials rules or safe operation.

What to Watch Next

The key unanswered question is when FMCSA will end the temporary enforcement suspension. The agency said it will provide additional guidance as Motus recovery and stabilization efforts continue.

Until then, companies should monitor FMCSA registration alerts and official Motus guidance. They should also avoid assuming that a missed update is permanently excused. Once normal enforcement resumes, carriers may need to be ready to complete overdue filings promptly.

For now, the practical message is straightforward: eligible registrants have more time, and their USDOT numbers will not be inactivated solely because a biennial update due on or after June 1 was missed during this transition period. But the most reliable compliance approach remains to verify company data, complete the update when the system permits, and retain proof of every submission.