Revoked or out of service
Reinstatement after a revocation or an out-of-service order
Which situations this covers
| Your situation | The way back | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| New entrant registration revoked for refusing the audit, or no contact | Reapply no sooner than 30 days after the revocation date, in Motus, with an updated MCS-150. The 18-month new entrant period starts over and a new safety audit follows. | 49 CFR 385.337, 385.329T(c) |
| New entrant registration revoked after a failed audit | The same 30-day wait and updated MCS-150, plus evidence that each deficiency named in the notice has been corrected. | 49 CFR 385.325, 385.329T(b) |
| Operating authority revoked after an insurance or BOC-3 lapse | Get the insurance filing and the BOC-3 back on file, then request reinstatement in Motus with FMCSA's $80 fee. FMCSA says authority is typically active within about a week of a complete request. | 49 CFR 387, 366, 360.3T |
| Out of service for an unpaid civil penalty | The order lifts when FMCSA receives full payment of the penalty. | 49 CFR 386.83 |
| An Unsatisfactory safety rating | A request for a rating change, supported by proof that the corrective action works. | 49 CFR 385.13, 385.17 |
Not what this is for
A USDOT number deactivated for a missed biennial update is fixed with an MCS-150, not a reinstatement: reactivate DOT number. An insurance cancellation notice whose date has not passed yet is two phone calls: the 30-day clock.
When you want a lawyer instead
An imminent hazard order, an open enforcement case, a proposed Unsatisfactory rating you intend to contest, or a crash with litigation attached. We say so instead of taking the work. An intrastate order from Texas DPS is the state’s process, not FMCSA’s.
How reinstatement works with us
- 1
A free record review first
Send the order, or just your USDOT number. We read the public record and your notice, and tell you which path applies, the earliest date, what FMCSA charges and whether it is worth doing. That review costs nothing, and if the honest answer is that you can do it yourself, we say so.
- 2
About six hours of work, at a fixed price
If you want it handled, it is $595 for members or $995 otherwise, covering about six hours: the reapplication or reinstatement prepared for you to submit, the updated MCS-150 a revoked new entrant needs, the evidence package after a failed audit, and the records the next audit will ask for. If your file runs longer, you are told before another hour is worked.
- 3
You file, in your own account
Reapplication and reinstatement run through Motus. You sign in with your own Login.gov and submit what we prepared; nobody should ask you for that login, and we never will. FMCSA's fees are paid to FMCSA directly.
- 4
Then, not here again
A reapplied new entrant starts a new 18-month period and faces a new audit. The membership after reinstatement is what keeps the second audit from becoming a third.
FMCSA's fees and the dates that matter
- $0 to reapply for a USDOT registration, and the MCS-150 is free.
- $80 to reinstate a revoked operating authority, once insurance and the BOC-3 are back on file.
- $300 for a new operating authority application, where a for-hire carrier's authority was revoked with its registration and has to be applied for again under Part 365 (49 CFR 360.3T).
- 30 days after revocation: the earliest a revoked new entrant may reapply (49 CFR 385.329T(a)).
- About a week: FMCSA's own statement of how long a complete operating authority reinstatement request typically takes.
The detail for each path, with the dates counted the way FMCSA counts them, is on our free help pages: FMCSA out-of-service order and failed new entrant audit.
Reinstatement questions
How long does it take to reinstate MC authority?
For an operating authority revoked after an insurance or BOC-3 lapse, FMCSA says authority is typically active within about a week of a complete reinstatement request, once both filings are back on file and the $80 fee is paid. A revoked new entrant registration cannot be reapplied for until 30 days after the revocation date, and processing starts from there. We tell you the earliest realistic date for your file in the free review.
Can a revoked USDOT number be reinstated?
A revoked new entrant registration can be reapplied for, no sooner than 30 days after the revocation, with an updated MCS-150 and either evidence of corrected deficiencies (after a failed audit) or a new safety audit (after a refusal or no contact). A number that was only deactivated for a missed biennial update is a different, simpler fix: file the MCS-150.
How much does FMCSA charge for reinstatement?
Nothing for a USDOT registration or the MCS-150. $80 to reinstate a revoked operating authority, and $300 for a new operating authority application, under 49 CFR 360.3T. Those are paid to FMCSA directly. Any other fee is a company charging for its time, ours included.
What is the difference between a deactivated and a revoked USDOT number?
Deactivation usually means a missed MCS-150 biennial update, and filing the update reactivates the number; since June 1, 2026 FMCSA has paused those deactivations while Motus settles. Revocation is an enforcement outcome, most often of a new entrant registration after a failed or refused safety audit, and it comes with an out-of-service order and a reapplication path.
Do you guarantee reinstatement?
No, and nobody honestly can. FMCSA decides, on the record. We read the record first, tell you what it allows and whether it is worth pursuing, prepare the filings for you to submit in your own Motus account and build the records the next audit will ask for. Anyone who guarantees an outcome or claims a faster channel into FMCSA is not telling the truth.
Do I have to hire anyone to get reinstated?
No. The wait, the updated MCS-150, the reapplication and the reinstatement request are all filings you can make yourself in Motus, and FMCSA's fees are the only fees that exist. Where it goes wrong is the records: a carrier that reapplies with the same gaps fails the second audit. Our free help pages walk through each path if you would rather do it yourself.
Not sure which situation you are in? Contact TenFour with your USDOT number and we will tell you.
Read the record before you pay anyone.
The review is free and needs no signup. If you want the reinstatement handled, it is $595 for members and $995 otherwise, about six hours of work, with no outcome promised by us or by anyone.
No contracts and no term commitment. You pay government fees directly, never through us. Every price on this site is the price you pay.