Who Can File MC Authority and USDOT Number For Me? DIY vs Service vs Attorney (2026)

Option 1: File it yourself through FMCSA Motus

Since May 14, 2026 every new FMCSA registration and every update goes through the Motus system, which replaced the old URS application and the Licensing and Insurance portal. You can do the whole filing yourself. FMCSA requires verification of the applicant's identity, so plan on a Login.gov account before you start.

The steps in order

Set up the business. Company name, business address and EIN must match exactly across the state filing, the IRS letter and the application.
Create a Login.gov account and pass identity verification. This is the applicant's own step and cannot be delegated.
Apply for the USDOT number in Motus. Fee: $0.
Apply for MC authority in the same Motus application. Fee: $300 per type of authority. Pick the right type: Common or Contract carrier authority (both appear as separate rows on your SAFER Company Snapshot), or Broker authority if you will arrange freight rather than haul it. The MC number is assigned at filing with a pending status.
Designate a process agent with a BOC-3. FMCSA charges nothing for it; the blanket process agent typically charges $35.
Have your insurer file proof of insurance. A BMC-91 or BMC-91X for a carrier; a BMC-84 surety bond or BMC-85 trust of $75,000 for a broker.
Register for UCR. $46 for a fleet of one or two trucks.
Wait out the protest period. FMCSA publishes the application in its Register and a 10-day protest window runs for all types of authority.
ACTIVE. The authority goes active once the BOC-3 and the insurance filing are both on record. Then register in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse if you or your drivers hold a CDL.

Where self-filers actually get stuck

Name, address or EIN mismatch between the LLC paperwork, the SS-4 letter and the Motus application.
Wrong type of authority: Common vs Contract, or carrier authority when a broker authority was needed. Each extra type is another $300.
BOC-3 forgotten. Without a process agent on file the authority never leaves pending.
Insurance filed late. The 10 days pass, but the BMC-91 or BMC-91X is not on record, so nothing happens.
Identity verification loops at Login.gov, especially for applicants whose documents are in a second language.
Clearinghouse skipped after activation. Registration is free through Login.gov; an owner-operator with a CDL registers as both driver and employer and designates a C/TPA.

Each of these mistakes typically costs weeks, not days. That is the whole case for the next two options.

Option 2: Hire a compliance or filing service

FMCSA allows third-party service providers to prepare and submit registrations on behalf of a company. This is the option most new owner-operators choose: cheaper than a lawyer, faster than learning Motus on your own money.

What a filing service can legitimately do

Submit the USDOT and MC authority application in Motus on behalf of your company
Register the LLC or corporation and apply for the EIN first, so names and numbers match
File the BOC-3 through a process agent and complete the UCR registration
Walk you through Login.gov identity verification on the phone
Coordinate the insurance filing with a licensed agent so the BMC-91 or BMC-91X lands on time
Register you in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and enroll you in a consortium
Answer FMCSA requests for correction

What no service can do

Issue the authority faster than the law allows or skip the 10-day protest period
Make the authority ACTIVE before the BOC-3 and the insurance filing are on record
Sell or place insurance without an insurance license
Pass identity verification for you: FMCSA verifies the applicant
Guarantee approval: FMCSA decides, not the filer

What to ask any service before you pay

Is the price all-inclusive or plus government fees? Government fees are about $381 (MC $300, BOC-3 $35, UCR $46) and go to FMCSA, the process agent and UCR, not to the service.
Who pays the $300? Whether you pay FMCSA directly or the service collects and forwards it, it should appear as a separate line.
What happens if the application is rejected or FMCSA asks for a correction? Is the response included or billed again?
Is there a written scope of work? What is filed, what the fees are, what is not included.
Who answers the phone after payment? A name and a number, not only a web form.

Where TruckerNavi sits in this row

TruckerNavi Inc is a filing and compliance service: $499 flat plus government fees for the full Authority Bundle. The package covers LLC or corporation registration, EIN, USDOT number, MC Authority, BOC-3, UCR, Clearinghouse registration and Drug and Alcohol consortium enrollment, plus Login.gov and Motus verification support and insurance filing coordination until the authority shows ACTIVE.

Every call, document and FMCSA form explained in Russian, English or Ukrainian, your choice
Available 7 days a week, Saturday and Sunday included, by phone, WhatsApp and email
Documents reviewed before submission; if FMCSA asks for a correction, the response is included
Written scope of work before any payment; New Jersey company operating since 2019

Call (315) 871-0833 or see the full package at Authority Bundle $499. Need broker authority instead? Read how to get freight broker authority step by step.

Русскоязычным клиентам: всё оформление ведём на русском, от Login.gov до активной authority. Звоните (315) 871-0833 или пишите в WhatsApp.

Option 3: Transportation attorney or consultant

A transportation attorney files the same Motus application and pays the same $300, but bills by the hour, usually well above what a filing service charges. For a clean first application it is overkill. It is the right call when the situation is no longer a filing problem:

A previous application was denied or a protest was filed against it during the 10-day window.
A past revocation sits on the record. An involuntary revocation means FMCSA revoked the authority itself (no insurance, no BOC-3, or no answer to a request); a voluntary revocation means the carrier filed an OCE-46 to cancel it. Either one stays on the record, and a new filing is not the moment to discover it. How to stay out of that situation: how to prevent authority revocation.
A complex ownership structure: several entities, or partners who already hold other authorities.
A dispute with FMCSA rather than a form to fill in.

A consultant without a law license sits between the two: more hand-holding than a flat-fee service, no legal representation. Ask which one you are actually paying for.

Cost comparison: DIY vs filing service vs attorney

Item	File it yourself	Filing service (TruckerNavi)	Transportation attorney
USDOT number	$0	$0	$0
MC authority	$300 per type of authority	$300 per type of authority	$300 per type of authority
BOC-3	$35 (process agent)	$35 (process agent)	$35 (process agent)
UCR (1 to 2 trucks)	$46	$46	$46
Service fee	$0	$499 flat (LLC, EIN, USDOT, MC, BOC-3, UCR, Clearinghouse)	Hourly, usually more than a service
Typical total	About $381 in government fees	About $880 ($499 + $381 in fees)	$381 in fees plus hourly billing
Your time	Login.gov verification, the Motus application, BOC-3, UCR, insurance follow-up, and every correction FMCSA asks for	One call to collect documents, the identity verification step with us on the phone, then waiting	Depends on the case; intake plus the same identity verification step

State LLC or corporation fees are separate, vary by state and are paid to the state. Insurance premiums are paid to the insurer whichever option you choose.

What a filing service needs from you

Whoever files, FMCSA needs the same information. A service will ask you for:

A copy of the owner's driver license, used for the identity verification FMCSA requires of the applicant.
The IRS SS-4 letter with your EIN, if the company already exists. If not, the service applies for it.
Articles of Organization or Incorporation, if the company already exists. If not, the service registers the LLC or corporation first.
Business address that matches the state filing and the IRS letter.
Type of operation and cargo: for-hire carrier, broker, or both; general freight, auto transport, and so on. This decides which authority type goes on the application.
Number of trucks, which sets the UCR bracket ($46 for one or two trucks).
Your participation in Login.gov identity verification. A service can walk you through it screen by screen; it cannot do it instead of you.

How long it takes when someone files for you

The clock is set by FMCSA, not by the filer. What a service changes is how many of these steps happen on the first try.

Day 1. Documents collected; the LLC or corporation and the EIN are set up if you do not have them yet.

Days 2 to 3. Login.gov identity verification and the Motus application. The MC number is assigned at filing with a pending status.

Day 3. BOC-3 filed through the process agent, UCR registered, insurance filing scheduled with a licensed agent so the BMC-91 or BMC-91X is on record in time.

Protest period. FMCSA publishes the application in its Register; a 10-day protest window applies to every type of authority.

Days 14 to 21. With the BOC-3 and the insurance filing both on record, the authority shows ACTIVE. Day-by-day detail: MC authority activation timeline.

After activation the same two filings keep you active. If FMCSA receives a notice that your insurance or BOC-3 was cancelled, the status changes to pending revocation and a 30-day countdown to revocation starts; if the replacement filing arrives in time the procedure is stopped and shows as discontinued revocation. Details: how to prevent authority revocation.

Red flags when choosing who files your authority

"Active in 24 hours" or "we skip the protest period." The 10-day protest window and the BOC-3 and insurance requirements apply to every applicant. Nobody files around them.
One price with no split between service fee and government fees. The $300 MC fee, the $35 BOC-3 and the $46 UCR should be visible as separate lines, not folded into "our fee".
They ask for your Login.gov password. Identity verification is the applicant's step. A legitimate service walks you through it; it does not log in as you.
Insurance "included" by a company with no insurance license. Placing insurance requires a licensed agent. Ask for the agent's name.
No written scope of work and no answer to "what if FMCSA rejects it?" If the answer before payment is vague, the answer after payment will be silence.
Web form only, no phone, no named person. An FMCSA request for correction has a deadline; you need someone who picks up.

What we are, and what we are not

We are

✅ TruckerNavi Inc: a New Jersey company operating since 2019
✅ A filing and compliance service: we prepare and submit your FMCSA paperwork
✅ A flat-fee provider: the price is published on this page
✅ Reachable by phone, WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week

We are not

❌ Not a law firm: we do not provide legal representation
❌ Not a licensed insurance agency: insurance is placed through licensed partners
❌ Not the FMCSA: government fees are paid to the government, not to us
❌ We do not promise approval: FMCSA decides, we make sure the filing is correct

Before any payment you get a written scope of work listing exactly what is filed, what the government fees are, and what happens if the application is rejected. Ask for it: it is standard here, not an exception.

Frequently asked questions

Who can file MC authority and USDOT number for me?

Three kinds of filers can do it: you, through the FMCSA Motus system after identity verification; a third-party filing or compliance service such as TruckerNavi Inc, which FMCSA explicitly allows; or a transportation attorney or consultant. FMCSA does not require a lawyer. The application, the $300 MC fee, the BOC-3, the insurance filing and the 10-day protest period are the same whoever submits it.

Can a third party file my FMCSA registration?

Yes. FMCSA allows third-party service providers to prepare and submit USDOT and MC authority applications on behalf of a company. Since May 14, 2026 all new registrations and updates go through the Motus system, which replaced URS and the Licensing and Insurance portal. FMCSA still requires verification of the applicant's own identity, so you take part in that step even when a service files for you.

How much does it cost to have someone file my MC authority?

Government fees are the same for everyone: USDOT number $0, MC authority $300 per type of authority, BOC-3 $35 through a process agent, UCR $46 for one or two trucks, about $381 in total. On top of that a filing service charges its own fee. TruckerNavi charges a flat $499 for the full Authority Bundle, so a typical total is about $880 plus the state LLC fee. An attorney bills hourly and usually costs more than a service.

Do I need an LLC before filing for MC authority?

Not necessarily. Most services, including TruckerNavi, register the LLC or corporation first because the USDOT and MC numbers are tied to the business entity, its legal name and its EIN. If you file under one name and change the entity later, the registration has to be updated through Motus, and a name or EIN mismatch between the state filing, the IRS letter and the application is one of the most common reasons a self-filed application stalls.

Is it safe to give a filing service my EIN and driver license?

A filer cannot complete the application without them: FMCSA requires identity verification of the applicant, and the EIN letter ties the authority to your company. The risk is not the documents but who receives them. Give them only to a named, reachable company with a phone number and a written scope of work, never share your Login.gov password, and do the identity verification step yourself with the service on the phone, which is how TruckerNavi works.

How long does it take when someone files my MC authority for me?

The MC number is assigned at filing with a pending status. FMCSA then publishes the application and a 10-day protest period runs for every type of authority. The authority becomes ACTIVE only when a BOC-3 and a BMC-91 or BMC-91X insurance filing are both on record. With documents ready and insurance lined up, ACTIVE typically arrives 14 to 21 days after filing, whoever submits the application.

Can a filing service get my authority active faster than filing myself?

No service can shorten the 10-day protest period or make the authority active before the BOC-3 and the insurance filing are on record; those rules apply to everyone. What a good service removes is the delay on your side: identity verification loops, a wrong authority type, a forgotten BOC-3 or an insurance filing that arrives after the protest period ends. Each of those mistakes typically costs weeks.

What happens if FMCSA rejects the application a service filed for me?

FMCSA makes the decision, not the service, so nobody can honestly promise approval. Ask before paying what the service does in that case. At TruckerNavi the filing is checked before submission, and if FMCSA asks for a correction we handle the response at no extra charge. The written scope of work you receive before payment spells this out.

Who Can File MC Authority and USDOT Number For You