To haul other people’s freight for pay across state lines under your own name, you need a USDOT number and operating authority (the MC number) from FMCSA. You apply online, pay a $300 fee for each type of authority, then have your insurer file proof of liability coverage and file a BOC-3 process agent designation within 20 days of the application being published; after a 10-day protest period the authority can be granted. The authority stays probationary until you complete the 18-month New Entrant Safety Assurance Program.
This page walks through the federal steps in order, then the state-administered credentials (UCR, IRP, IFTA) and the federal heavy vehicle use tax that sit alongside them. Each step names the rule it comes from, so you can check it yourself.
Do you actually need your own authority?
49 CFR 385.301T(a) sets the baseline: before a motor carrier of property or passengers begins interstate operations, it must register with FMCSA and receive a USDOT number, and for-hire carriers must also obtain operating authority under Part 365, "unless providing transportation exempt from 49 CFR part 365 registration requirements." That gives three common situations:
| Your operation | USDOT number | Operating authority (MC) |
|---|---|---|
| For-hire, regulated freight, interstate | Yes | Yes |
| Private carrier: you haul your own goods for your own business, interstate | Yes | No (you are not for-hire) |
| For-hire, but only commodities exempt from economic regulation | Yes | No, under the exemption named in 385.301T(a) |
| Leased on to another carrier and running under its authority | Uses the carrier’s | Uses the carrier’s |
The definitions are in 49 CFR 390.5T: a for-hire motor carrier is "a person engaged in the transportation of goods or passengers for compensation," and a private motor carrier is one that "is not a for-hire motor carrier." Leasing on to an authorized carrier is governed by the truth-in-leasing rules in Part 376; many owner-operators start that way and apply for their own authority later.
The federal rules above are triggered by a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Under 390.5T a CMV includes any vehicle or combination with a weight rating or actual weight of 10,001 pounds or more, so a pickup pulling a hotshot trailer is often inside it. See interstate vs intrastate for what counts as interstate (it can include trips that never cross a state line) and USDOT number vs MC number for the difference between the two numbers.
Before you apply: the business basics
- Legal name and business form. The name on your application is the name that must appear on your trucks (390.21T(b)(1)) and on your insurance filings: 387.313T(c) requires certificates of insurance and surety bonds to be issued in "the full and correct name" of the entity receiving the authority.
- An Employer Identification Number. You will need one for the heavy vehicle use tax at the latest: the IRS Instructions for Form 2290 say "You must have an EIN to file Form 2290. You can’t use your social security number (SSN)."
- A principal place of business. Proof of insurance must be kept there (387.7(d)), as must your copy of the BOC-3 (366.2T). The IRP base state is also tied to an established place of business (see IRP and apportioned plates).
Step 1: apply for the USDOT number and authority
49 CFR 365.106T requires a new applicant, meaning an entity that does not have and has never had an active USDOT, MC, MX or FF number, to apply for its USDOT number and operating authority by electronically filing Form MCSA-1, the Unified Registration System (URS) online application. Private and exempt for-hire new applicants use the same form for the USDOT number alone (390.200T).
FMCSA is replacing URS with a new system called Motus. Its notice of 29 April 2026 (91 FR 23144) says Phase I opened on 8 December 2025 for supporting companies such as BOC-3 filers and insurers, that Phase II, "planned for the second quarter of 2026," opens Motus to all regulated entities, and that first-time registrants will then apply for their USDOT number and operating authority in Motus. Every new applicant must pass identity verification: the notice describes scanning a QR code with a smartphone or tablet, photographing a government-issued ID and taking a face scan. FMCSA still accepts the paper forms (including OP-1, MCS-150 and BOC-3) until a rule removes them, but warns that applicants "may expect a minimum timeframe of eight business days for the initial review and processing." Check FMCSA’s registration pages for which system is live when you apply.
The filing fee
The fee schedule is 49 CFR 360.3T(f). Item (1): an application for motor carrier operating authority, property broker authority or freight forwarder authority costs $300. 360.3T(d)(1) adds that "a separate filing fee is required for each type of authority sought," so a company asking for both carrier and broker authority pays twice. Under 360.3T(c) the fee is not refunded once the application is accepted, "regardless of whether the application ... is granted."
Step 2: FMCSA review and publication
365.109T(a): FMCSA staff check the application for completeness. Minor errors are corrected without notice; materially incomplete applications are rejected; applicants with an "Unsatisfactory" DOT safety fitness rating are rejected; every application must be completed in English. If an application is rejected, 365.111T gives 10 days from the date of the rejection letter to appeal.
365.109T(b): a summary is published in the FMCSA Register as a preliminary grant, so the public can object.
Step 3: the protest period
365.203T: a protest must be received at FMCSA within 10 days after notice of the application appears in the FMCSA Register. For an ordinary property carrier this is a fitness application, and under 365.107T(a) it "can be opposed only on the grounds that applicant is not fit," for example not complying with the financial responsibility and safety fitness requirements. In practice, a general freight carrier that files its insurance and BOC-3 on time has little a protest can attach to.
Step 4: insurance filing and BOC-3, within 20 days
Two filings must reach FMCSA within 20 days from the date the application notice is published in the FMCSA Register:
- Evidence of liability coverage (365.109T(a)(5)): for property and passenger carriers, a Form BMC-91 or 91X certificate of insurance or a BMC-82 surety bond. Your insurer files it, not you. The minimum for general freight in a vehicle of 10,001 pounds or more is $750,000 (387.303T(b)(2)). Hazardous materials carry $1 million or $5 million. The full schedule is on the trucking insurance requirements page.
- Form BOC-3 (365.109T(a)(6)), the designation of process agents: people in each state who can accept legal papers on your behalf.
What the BOC-3 has to cover
366.4T(a): every motor carrier "shall make a designation for each State in which it is authorized to operate and for each State traversed during such operations." 366.3T: each agent "must reside in or maintain an office in the State for which they are designated." 366.2T: only one current BOC-3 may be on file, it must include every required state, and you keep a copy at your principal place of business. Rather than finding an agent in every state, most carriers use a blanket agent, a company that has filed a list of agents for each state with FMCSA (366.5T). You can find one in our BOC-3 process agent directory. The price of a BOC-3 is set by the agent; no federal rule fixes it.
Step 5: authority granted, and what "new entrant" means
Once the protest period has passed and the filings are accepted, FMCSA can grant the authority. Two rules follow you from that day:
- 365.110: operating authority "does not become permanent until the applicant satisfactorily completes the New Entrant Safety Assurance Program in part 385."
- 385.307: the new entrant period lasts 18 months, with a safety audit once the carrier has enough records, "generally ... at least 3 months." The audit and its 16 automatic-failure violations are covered in detail on the new entrant safety audit page.
Keep the insurance in force. 387.301T(a)(1) says no certificate or permit shall "remain in force unless and until" the required security is on file with FMCSA, and under 387.313T(d) an insurer cancels a filing by giving FMCSA 30 days’ written notice. FMCSA’s April 2026 notice says that when a registrant fails to keep the required insurance on file, "its operating authority will be revoked or suspended involuntarily." Reinstatement is a separate filing with its own $80 fee (360.3T(f)(52)).
Step 6: the safety programs you need on day one
Drug and alcohol testing
382.115(a): a domestic employer must implement the Part 382 testing program "on the date the employer begins commercial motor vehicle operations." That includes a verified negative pre-employment drug test before the first safety-sensitive work (382.301(a)). A one-truck owner-operator is both employer and driver: 382.103(b) says an employer who employs only himself or herself "shall implement a random alcohol and controlled substances testing program of two or more covered employees in the random testing selection pool," which in practice means joining a consortium. Failing to have a testing program at all, or a random program, is an automatic failure of the new entrant audit (385.321, items 1 and 5). Background: DOT drug testing rules, random testing rates and Clearinghouse queries.
Driver files, logs and maintenance
- A driver qualification file for each driver, including you (391.51), with a current medical certificate (see DOT physical requirements).
- Records of duty status, normally on an ELD (ELD rule explained, ELD device directory), kept at least 6 months (395.8(k)(1)). The limits themselves are on the hours of service page, and you can check a schedule with the HOS calculator.
- A maintenance record for each vehicle you control (396.3(b)) and a current annual inspection (396.17).
- An accident register kept for 3 years after each accident (390.15(b)).
Marking the truck
390.21T: each self-propelled CMV must show your legal name or single trade name and your number preceded by the letters "USDOT," on both sides, in sharply contrasting letters readable from 50 feet in daylight while stationary. The rule does not require the MC number on the truck.
Step 7: state credentials and federal tax
| Credential | Who needs it | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| UCR | Interstate carriers (including private and exempt carriers), brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies | 49 U.S.C. 14504a; fees in 49 CFR Part 367; paid through your base state |
| IRP apportioned plates | Power units over 26,000 lb, or with 3+ axles, or combinations over 26,000 lb, running in two or more jurisdictions | Your base jurisdiction’s IRP office |
| IFTA license and decals | Qualified motor vehicles (same weight and axle thresholds) running in two or more member jurisdictions | Your base jurisdiction’s fuel tax office |
| Form 2290 (HVUT) | Vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 lb or more registered in your name | IRS; the stamped Schedule 1 is needed for state registration |
The order matters in practice: states generally require proof of 2290 payment before they register a heavy vehicle (IRS Instructions for Form 2290), and a base jurisdiction may issue IFTA credentials only for vehicles already registered there (Colorado, for example, requires a valid Colorado IRP or county registration).
What it costs: the fixed items
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operating authority, each type | $300 | 49 CFR 360.3T(f)(1) |
| USDOT number | No fee listed in the Part 360 schedule | 49 CFR 360.3T(f) |
| UCR, 0 to 2 vehicles | $46 for 2025 and 2026; $55 from registration year 2027 | 49 CFR 367 (Sept. 1, 2026 final rule, 91 FR 56063) |
| Heavy vehicle use tax, over 75,000 lb | $550 per vehicle per year (less if first used after July) | 26 U.S.C. 4481; IRS Instructions for Form 2290 |
| Reinstatement of revoked authority | $80 | 49 CFR 360.3T(f)(52) |
| Insurance, BOC-3, IRP, IFTA, drug testing consortium, ELD | Set by the market or the base state | No federal fixed amount |
Insurance is usually the largest start-up cost, and nothing in the regulations sets a price for it. When you model your rates, put insurance, IRP, IFTA and 2290 into the cost per mile calculator, and if you will be away from home overnight, check the meal deduction with the per diem calculator.
Worked example: one tractor, general freight
Example, applying the rules above. Maria sets up an LLC to haul dry van freight across several states with one tractor and one leased trailer, at up to 80,000 pounds gross.
- She gets an EIN, then applies online as a new applicant for a USDOT number and property carrier authority, paying $300.
- Her application is published in the FMCSA Register. The 10-day protest window runs. Within 20 days of publication her insurer files a BMC-91X for at least $750,000, and a blanket agent files her BOC-3 covering every state she will run through.
- Before the first load she enrolls in a drug and alcohol consortium, takes a pre-employment drug test with a verified negative result, builds her own driver qualification file, installs an ELD and gets the tractor’s annual inspection done.
- Her tractor has three axles, so it is apportionable under IRP and a qualified motor vehicle under IFTA. She first drives it on a public highway in July, so her Form 2290 for the $550 category is due August 31; the stamped Schedule 1 goes with her IRP application. She then applies for her IFTA license and decals.
- She pays UCR through her base state for bracket B1 (0 to 2 vehicles).
- For the next 18 months she is a new entrant and should expect a safety audit covering exactly the records listed above.
Common mistakes
- Hauling before the authority is active. Having a USDOT number is not the same as having authority to haul for-hire.
- Missing the 20-day window. The insurance and BOC-3 deadlines in 365.109T run from publication in the FMCSA Register, not from when you get around to buying a policy.
- A BOC-3 that misses states. 366.4T covers states you are authorized to operate in and states you pass through.
- No random testing pool. A single-driver company still needs a pool of two or more (382.103(b)).
- Letting the biennial update lapse. 390.19T(b) requires an updated MCS-150 every 24 months (odd or even years by the next-to-last digit of the USDOT number); failing to update can lead to deactivation of the USDOT number.
- Changing insurers without overlap. A replacement filing ends the old insurer’s liability on its effective date (387.313T(e)). Make sure the new filing is accepted before the old one ends.