At 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, May 14, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s legacy registration system goes dark.
Before then, motor carriers and other registered entities need to log in to their portal accounts and verify their information, as the agency plans to launch its new registration system, Motus, early next week.
Specifically, entities with a USDOT Number or USDOT Number and Operating Authority need to take the following actions by May 14.
- Ensure your FMCSA Portal account is active. Log in to your portal account at https://portal.fmcsa.dot.gov. If you don’t have an account, create one now and use your USDOT PIN to access your information. Obtain your PIN at fmcsa.dot.gov.
- Reach out if your account is disabled. Please note that FMCSA Portal accounts are disabled after 90 days and archived after 12 months of inactivity. Reach out to the FMCSA Contact Center to unlock your account.
- Verify your company information. In the Portal, ensure that your company information, operation classification, contact information and individuals authorized to access your record are all correct.
- Make necessary updates. If applicable, submit an online Biennial Update (MCS-150) in the portal’s “Registration” tab to ensure that the most up-to-date information is on file for your business.
Only the FMCSA Portal Company Official using the same FMCSA Portal Login.gov email will be permitted to claim an account in Motus for the first time. Once your account is successfully linked to Motus, you will no longer need to access the FMCSA Portal to make registration changes.
Those who don’t act by May 14 will probably dislike the alternative.
“My concern is those who don’t get the word or don’t update their account, they are going to have to call us,” said Ken Riddle, FMCSA’s director for the Office of Registration. “They’re going to have to manually verify their identity, verify their business, get documentation and manually link them to the Motus account. As you can imagine, I think that line is going to be quite long, and I don’t want anyone to wait in that line. The more people who can do this ahead of time, the smoother the transition will go.”
Riddle said that FMCSA has sent about 2.2 million letters, informing carriers and other registered entities about the May 14 deadline. Those who don’t do this ahead of time won’t be able to do anything in the new system, including make a biennial update or add operating authority, until their company information is verified.
Why is a new registration system needed?
Riddle said that Motus promises to be more user-friendly and to help prevent fraud.
“Motus will not only handle the new registration, but the full lifecycle of registered entities like a motor carrier,” Riddle said. “Whether you need to do … a biennial update, a business change or add authority … whatever you need to do, you will be able to do it through Motus online.”
When FMCSA set out to create a new registration system, the initial goal was to build a modern, one-stop shop. However, as the agency heard more from industry stakeholders, it became clear that steps were needed to curb the influx of fraud.
“Our legacy systems are vulnerable because they are outdated,” Riddle said. “We need a new system on a modern platform that will help us combat this fraud issue. Motus will help with that, not only from an IT security perspective, like requiring login.gov … but the business verification that’s also something to help combat the fraud issue.”
More information about the launch of Motus can be found at FMCSA’s Resources Hub. The hub includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions and a fact sheet. LL
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