Every entity with a USDOT number has to file an MCS-150 biennial update every two years. It applies whether you run one truck or five hundred, whether you are a carrier, a shipper of hazmat, or a broker with a USDOT number, and it applies even if nothing about your operation has changed.
This is a compliance summary, not legal advice.
Find your due date
Your deadline is built into your USDOT number.
The last digit sets the month:
| Last digit | Due by the end of |
|---|---|
| 1 | January |
| 2 | February |
| 3 | March |
| 4 | April |
| 5 | May |
| 6 | June |
| 7 | July |
| 8 | August |
| 9 | September |
| 0 | October |
The second-to-last digit sets the year: odd means odd-numbered years, even means even-numbered years.
So a USDOT number ending in 40 is due by the end of October in even years, which means October 2026. One ending in 50 is due in October 2027.
Oct. 31, 2026 falls on a Saturday. File during the week before, not over the weekend.
Where enforcement stands right now
In May 2026, FMCSA moved registration into its new Motus system, and biennial updates are now filed there. During the transition, FMCSA has suspended enforcement of the biennial update and stopped deactivating USDOT numbers for updates due on or after June 1, 2026, until further notice. We covered that in detail in our news piece on the Motus pause.
Two things about that pause matter:
- The requirement did not go away. Only the penalty is on hold, and FMCSA has said it will give notice before restarting.
- Congress is moving the other way. The REVOKE Act, introduced in September, would give the Transportation Secretary authority to immediately deactivate a USDOT number when a registrant fails to make required periodic updates.
Treat the pause as time to file without stress, not a reason to skip it.
How to file in Motus
- Go to motus.dot.gov and sign in with Login.gov. Make sure the email on the account belongs to someone who still works for you.
- Open your USDOT number's registration and start the biennial update.
- Review every field, don't just click through. The ones that matter most:
- Power units and drivers. These feed your safety measurement, and a stale count distorts your CSA percentiles. See how CSA scores are built.
- Vehicle miles travelled for the last full year.
- Operation type and cargo classifications.
- Physical address, mailing address, phone and email. FMCSA sends audit and compliance notices here.
- Company officials.
- Submit and save the confirmation. Screenshot it and file it. Records don't always carry over cleanly between systems, and proof of filing settles arguments.
It costs nothing
FMCSA does not charge for the MCS-150 biennial update.
Third-party services will offer to file it for a fee, and some send letters or emails that look official and imply the fee is required. It isn't. Some filing services do honest work for carriers who want help, but you are never required to pay to update your own registration.
Be especially wary of any message threatening immediate deactivation unless you pay today. That has been a standard scam for years, and the current enforcement pause makes it even less plausible.
What happens if you miss it
Under normal enforcement, an overdue biennial update can lead to your USDOT number being deactivated, which means you can't legally operate under it. Failing to file can also bring civil penalties.
The damage from a deactivation usually goes beyond the fine: loads cancelled, brokers dropping you from their carrier lists, and insurers asking why.
Update sooner when something changes
The biennial update is a floor, not a schedule. File an update when you:
- move your principal place of business,
- add or drop a meaningful number of trucks,
- change what you haul, especially into or out of hazmat,
- change company officials.
Registration data that doesn't match your real operation is one of the things investigators notice during a DOT audit.
Quick answers
How do I know when my MCS-150 is due? The last digit of your USDOT number is the month (0 is October). The second-to-last digit is the year: odd numbers file in odd years, even numbers in even years.
Do I have to file if nothing changed? Yes. The biennial update is required regardless.
Does it cost anything? No. FMCSA does not charge for it.
Will my USDOT number be deactivated right now if I miss it? FMCSA has paused deactivations for updates due on or after June 1, 2026, until further notice. The filing is still required.
