UPDATED JULY 2026 · PLAIN-ENGLISH GUIDE
FMCSA Motus, explained — the registration system just changed for every carrier in America
In May 2026, FMCSA switched every carrier, broker, and freight forwarder in the country onto Motus, its new registration system. The old FMCSA Portal registration closed May 14, 2026. If a guide you're reading mentions "URS" or the old portal, it's out of date — including most filing services' own instructions.
What actually changed
- Where you file: USDOT registration, operating authority applications, and record updates (MCS-150) now happen in Motus instead of the legacy portal/URS.
- How you sign in: Motus runs on Login.govaccounts with tightened identity verification — FMCSA's response to years of registration fraud. Expect to prove who you are, not just create a password.
- What didn't change: the requirements themselves. You owe the same registrations as before — same fees ($0 USDOT, $300 authority), same deadlines, same penalties.
- What's still coming: FMCSA has proposed eliminating MC/FF/MX docket numbers and changing the BOC-3 process — both are still in rulemaking, not live. Anyone telling you MC numbers are already gone is wrong (or selling something).
The dates that matter
- May 14, 2026 — legacy FMCSA Portal registration closed.
- May 2026 — Motus opened to all users.
- Your MCS-150 deadline — unchanged by the transition and still enforced. Check yours free — the switch to a new system is exactly when deadlines get missed.
Step-by-step guides
Get a USDOT number in Motus
Step-by-step: Login.gov identity, the application, and the mistakes that get applications rejected.
READ →
File your MCS-150 in Motus
The biennial update in the new system — plus how to know your deadline.
READ →
Why trust this page
We're a filing service, and here's our bias stated plainly: we make money when you pay us to file. We also link every claim to the official source and tell you what's free, because that's the whole reason this company exists. Primary sources: FMCSA Registration · Registration Modernization · Official Motus FAQs. This system is new and actively changing — when Motus changes, this page changes.
Motus questions, answered
▸What is FMCSA Motus?
Motus is FMCSA's new online registration system, launched to all users in May 2026. It replaced the old FMCSA Portal / URS registration process for USDOT numbers, operating authority, and record updates like the MCS-150 biennial update.
▸Is the old FMCSA Portal gone?
For registration, yes — the legacy portal's registration functions closed on May 14, 2026. If you're searching for the old portal login to file something, registration filings now happen in Motus.
▸Do I need a new login for Motus?
Motus uses Login.gov accounts with strengthened identity verification — part of FMCSA's crackdown on registration fraud. If you don't have a Login.gov account, creating one is the first step before any filing.
▸Are MC numbers going away?
Not yet. FMCSA has proposed eliminating MC/FF/MX docket numbers, but at Motus launch that change is NOT in effect — it remains in the rulemaking pipeline. Your MC number still works and new authority still gets one. We'll update this page when that changes.
▸Does Motus change what filings I owe?
No. The requirements — USDOT registration, authority, BOC-3, UCR, MCS-150 — are the same. What changed is where and how you file the FMCSA ones, and the identity checks required to do it.