FMCSA replaced the way motor carriers register with the agency, and a lot of carriers only found out when they went to file something and the old system was gone.
Motus is FMCSA’s new registration system. It replaces the Unified Registration System (URS), which is now permanently offline, and the registration functionality inside the FMCSA Portal, which has been permanently disabled. If you hold authority, this changes how you file — and who in your organization is allowed to do it.
What Motus Replaced
Motus consolidates a long list of separate registration forms into one platform:
OP-1, OP-1(P), OP-1(FF), OP-1(NNA), OP-1(MX), MCS-150, MCS-150B, MCS-150C, MCSA-5889, OCE-46, and BOC-3.
One nuance worth being precise about: the forms themselves have not been legally eliminated. FMCSA has said they will be phased out through future rulemaking and remain accepted during the transition. Motus is the new filing channel — the underlying obligations still trace to the existing regulations.
The Rollout
Phase I — December 8, 2025. Limited access for supporting companies only: blanket companies, financial responsibility filers, and transportation service providers. They could set up user profiles, create company accounts, and invite authorized users. No carrier-facing registration functions were live.
Phase II — May 14, 2026. The cutover for all regulated entities. FMCSA’s guidance stated that systems supporting registration actions would be impacted beginning Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET. Phase II covers new USDOT number applications, operating authority, name and address changes, biennial updates, and voluntary suspensions and revocations.
The policy notice is published at 91 FR 23144 (April 29, 2026), FR Doc. 2026-08334. A correction published May 6, 2026 at 91 FR 24643 established the correct docket as FMCSA-2026-1255.
Who Can Claim Your USDOT Number
This is the part that catches carriers who use a filing service, and it is worth stating carefully because it is widely misreported.
To claim a USDOT number in Motus, you must verify that you are the owner, an official partner, or an authorized corporate officer. FMCSA’s guidance describes the Portal Company Official as the company owner or an individual authorized to sign documents on the company’s behalf. Critically:
You must use the same Login.gov email that you used as the Company Official in the FMCSA Portal to claim a USDOT Number.
And only that Company Official, using that same Login.gov email, may claim the account in Motus for the first time.
Third-party filers are not shut out — but they cannot be the one to claim your number. FMCSA’s own guidance directs transportation service providers not to claim a USDOT number and instead to create a supporting company account. From there they can complete filings on behalf of registrants and perform other authorized actions once the registrant has claimed its own account and granted access.
So the sequence matters: the carrier claims its account first, then delegates. A filing service cannot bootstrap the process for you.
What Carriers Should Do Now
The durable guidance from FMCSA’s policy notice, independent of any transition deadline:
- Review your records for accuracy and update them, including process agent (BOC-3) and insurance filings.
- Save a copy of your records as they currently exist.
- Audit your FMCSA Portal authorized users and remove anyone who has left the company, changed roles, or no longer needs access.
- Confirm your Company Official is current. If the person listed has left, resolving that is the prerequisite to everything else.
- Keep your biennial MCS-150 update on schedule. The filing channel changed; the requirement did not.
If your company cannot claim its account — typically because the listed Company Official is unreachable or the Login.gov email no longer exists — contact FMCSA directly. The remediation path varies by situation and is not something to guess at.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Motus?
Motus is FMCSA’s new registration system. It replaced the Unified Registration System and the registration functionality in the FMCSA Portal, consolidating forms including the MCS-150, the OP-1 series, and the BOC-3.
When did Motus take over?
Phase I launched December 8, 2025 for supporting companies. Phase II, covering all regulated entities, began May 14, 2026.
Can my filing service claim my USDOT number for me?
No. Only the Company Official — the owner, an official partner, or an authorized corporate officer — can claim the account for the first time, using the same Login.gov email associated with the FMCSA Portal. Third-party filers register separately as supporting companies and can file on your behalf after that.
Is the Unified Registration System still available?
No. URS is permanently offline and the FMCSA Portal’s registration functionality has been permanently disabled.
Do I still have to file an MCS-150 biennial update?
Yes. Motus changed how you file, not whether you must. The biennial update requirement remains.
Keep Your Filings Current With Vertical Identity
A registration system change is exactly the kind of event that turns a compliant carrier into a non-compliant one — not through negligence, but because a filing quietly did not happen.
Vertical Identity manages the filings that keep your authority active: BOC-3 process agent designation, UCR registration, MCS-150 biennial updates, and IRP. We track what is due and when, so a platform migration does not cost you your operating authority.
Call (602) 899-1606 or enroll today.