Motus Started May 19: What Motor Carriers Need to Do Now

After years of development, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is moving motor carrier registration into Motus, its new USDOT Registration System. During the last week of April, FMCSA mailed about 2.2 million letters to USDOT number owners to flag the change and to urge companies to take preparatory steps now. 

The message is simple. Motus launched on May 19, 2026, and the smoothest transition will belong to registrants who clean up their Portal access and company record before the switch happens.

Why the change?

Motus is designed to replace a web of legacy registration tools with a secure online dashboard. FMCSA began Phase 1 on December 8, 2025, with limited access for supporting companies and plans to open the system to new registrants and existing registrants in 2026. Motus will support:

• Applying for authority,
• Completing biennial MCS-150 updates,
• Updating business information, and
• Inactivating or reactivating a USDOT number.

It also uses auto-population and real-time validation to reduce errors, improve usability on mobile devices, and strengthen fraud safeguards.

A major change for many companies will be identity and business verification. FMCSA has described a process that:

• Uses a QR code to launch a verification session on a smartphone or tablet,
• Captures images of a government-issued identity document, and
• Completes a facial scan before the user returns to Motus to finish the transaction.

Business verification will also be part of the workflow, using key identifiers such as business name and federal employer identification number (FEIN), along with the carrier’s address and phone details.

FMCSA is also introducing clearer registration identification. Regulated entities will continue to be identified by a USDOT number, but Motus will display suffixes to indicate the type or types of registrations granted. These suffixes are for administrative clarity and are not a vehicle marking requirement.

What should registrants do now

FMCSA asked companies to complete these Portal steps by May 14, or as soon as possible thereafter:

1. Ensure the FMCSA Portal account is active, since inactive accounts can be disabled after prolonged nonuse.
2. Confirm the correct Portal Company Official is listed. FMCSA has indicated that this role, using the same Login.gov email, will be required to claim the company account in Motus.
3. Review and update company information through the Portal by submitting a biennial update, so Motus can populate the new account with accurate data.

FMCSA has also emphasized what is not changing at the initial launch. Based on stakeholder feedback, the first release for all users is not expected to include safety registration, elimination of motor carrier (MC) numbers, or changes to the current BOC-3 filing process. Companies can monitor the Registration Modernization Resources Hub for updates, job aids, and timelines as Motus is being launched.