Registration Alerts
FMCSA Transitions to Electronic-only Payments
Effective September 30, 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will no longer accept paper payments, such as checks and money orders, for any agency transactions, including fees for initial application of operating authority registration, reinstatement or legal name changes, civil penalty payments, and other fee-based transactions.
FMCSA has actively engaged with stakeholders over the past several weeks to ensure broad awareness of this change and to support a smooth transition. The transition aligns with White House Executive Order 14247: Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account, and advances a faster, more secure, and more efficient payment experience for the motor carrier industry.
What’s Changing?
Beginning September 30, 2025:
- FMCSA will not process paper payments (such as checks and money orders) for any transactions.
- Stakeholders must provide debit or credit card information to make payment.
- For financial responsibility (insurance filing fees, entities should refer to their monthly invoice for instructions
- For operating authority registration related fees such as initial applications, name changes, and reinstatements, entities should visit the FMCSA registration website.
- Assistance is available through the FMCSA Contact Center: 1-800-832-5660.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is FMCSA eliminating paper transactions, such as checks and money orders?
This change supports White House Executive Order 14247. Electronic payments are faster, more secure, and more efficient, reducing errors and administrative burden.
2. What types of electronic payments will FMCSA accept?
FMCSA will accept debit or credit cards via secure online payments on its website.
- For financial responsibility (insurance filing fees, entities should refer to their monthly invoice for instructions
- For operating authority registration related fees such as initial applications, name changes, and reinstatements, entities should visit the FMCSA registration website.
3. What happens if I mail a paper check after September 30, 2025?
Checks received after September 30, 2025, will not be processed and will be returned, potentially delaying services.
4. Are there any exceptions?
If submitting a paper application, the applicant must complete the credit card information at the bottom of the form before submitting.
5. Where can I get help transitioning to electronic payments?
Call the agency’s Contact Center at 1-800-832-5660 (8am to 8-pm, Monday-Friday) for assistance.
As the lead federal government agency responsible for regulating and providing safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), FMCSA's mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses. To help achieve this, FMCSA has partnered with IDEMIA to perform identity document capture and verification services to safely collect customer registration data and prevent fraud. FMCSA will now require new registrants to pass an identity proofing and verification check through the Unified Registration System to obtain new registration (either a USDOT number or USDOT number and Operating Authority)
Online Registration Updates are Back
As of January 20, 2025, FMCSA Registration Options have been integrated into the FMCSA Portal to enhance security and comply with the Presidential mandate for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and customers can resume making online updates. Thank you for your patience!
Online updates can now be made to:
• File a biennial update (MCS-150)
• File a change of address
• Reinstate Operating Authority
• Reapply for a USDOT Number after New Entrant revocation
• Update cargo tank registration
• Update HM Safety Permit (MCS-150B) registration
If you already have a Login.gov account, you do not need to create a new one. Use your existing Login.gov account only if it is not already associated with an FMCSA Portal account. Each FMCSA Portal account type – whether for a Company Employee, Associate of a Company, Insurance Filer, or BOC-3 Filer – requires its own unique Login.gov account. You cannot use the same Login.gov account for multiple FMCSA Portal accounts.
Additional information can be found at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/registration-forms#Processing%20Time and a complete step-by-step process is detailed in our FMCSA Portal Registration User Guide for FMCSA Registered Entities and Associates.
SAFER - Company Snapshot Updates
We have updated the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) System to clarify how information is displayed on the website. These updates include how the Company Snapshot displays the USDOT Number and Operating Authority (OA) statuses.
Prior to the update, the “NOT Authorized” message resulted in misunderstandings about the USDOT status. Company Snapshot now includes distinct fields to display the USDOT and OA status separately.
Also see: Related FAQ <Why is my operating authority status shown as “NOT AUTHORIZED” on Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER)? | FMCSA (dot.gov)>
In response to the presidential mandate for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), in 2024, the FMCSA began its transition to Login.gov. All users with credentials for any FMCSA system will be required to use a Login.gov account to access FMCSA systems. Effective January 1st, Login.gov will solely be used for accessing the FMCSA Portal and the Unified Registration System (URS). More information will be shared as we work on the transition.
If you have an existing FMCSA Portal account, verify your FMCSA Portal Profile, ensuring your portal account's email matches your Login.gov account. If you haven't registered with Login.gov yet, use your Portal account email for registration. For assistance or inquiries about your Portal email, contact us.
FMCSA Daily Decisions on Operating Authority (CPLs, Reinstatements, Re-entitlements)
The official record of an entity’s operating authority registration is found on the FMCSA’s Licensing & Insurance (L&I) system once the certificate, permit, or license is generated. Once the L&I System reflects that FMCSA has issued the certificate, permit, or license, the motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder is authorized to commence operations. The information in the L&I system is the authoritative source for whether an entity is authorized to engaged in non-exempt, for-hire interstate operations.
Hard copies of certificates do not represent an active authority to engage in operations. For this reason, FMCSA does not require domestic motor carriers or freight forwarders to maintain a copy of their certificate, permit, or license in the commercial motor vehicle. Enforcement of operating authority registration violations must be based on information maintained in the L&I System, not on the information in a paper copy of the certificate, permit, or license, or (for U.S. domestic motor carriers) on the absence of a paper copy in the vehicle.
Before beginning non-exempt, for-hire motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder operations in interstate commerce, entities are required under 49 U.S.C. 13901 to obtain operating authority registration. FMCSA regulations in 49 CFR part 365 were promulgated to implement the operating authority registration requirement. Under 49 CFR part 365, entities must submit an application for operating authority registration to FMCSA for review. Under 49 CFR 365.115(b), after FMCSA review and publication in the FMCSA Register, “[i]f no one opposes the application, the grant published in the FMCSA Register will become effective by issuance of a certificate, permit, or license.”
While the above message is still accurate, FMCSA is now making available the six daily decision letters to the public the day they are generated. This prevents customers from having to wait on the hard copy letter that comes in the mail. Anyone can access these daily decision letters on our FMCSA Registration Homepage at: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/daily-fmcsa-registration-decisions-letters-certificates-permits-and-licenses located on the left and top menu of our page. You can also find it by clicking on the "Daily Decisions" blue button below.
Last updated: Wednesday, September 10, 2025