UCR, MCS-150 & BOC-3 Filings
UCR, MCS-150 and BOC-3 filings, prepared for you
Software derives every date, including the MCS-150 window your own USDOT number sets, and prepares the filing; a person reviews it before it is submitted.
What we do
Biennial update (MCS-150)
Your update window is tracked on your USDOT number's schedule, and the update is prepared and checked for you to submit in your own Motus account on time. FMCSA has paused deactivations for missed updates since June 1, 2026, but the update is still required.
UCR renewal
The annual Unified Carrier Registration fee is monitored and prepared each cycle, at the published government fee with no markup.
BOC-3 designation
An approved blanket process agent covering every state, set up in your name at onboarding and the filing confirmed. You pay the agent's own one-time fee directly to the agent.
One renewal calendar
Everything with a date lives in your compliance calendar: upcoming, due soon, done.
Who it's for: Interstate carriers with 1 to 6 trucks that are tired of registration surprises. Fleets of 7 or more: contact us for custom pricing.
The MCS-150 biennial update: 49 CFR 390.19T
Every motor carrier must update its registration information every 24 months, and the requirement holds even if nothing about your operation changed, even if you have stopped operating entirely, in which case you file to deactivate.
Your deadline is not assigned to you; it is derived from your USDOT number. The last digit sets the filing month (1 = January through 9 = September, 0 = October). The next-to-last digit sets the year: odd means odd-numbered years, even means even-numbered years. The filing is due by the last day of that month. The form is free, and our guide shows how to file the MCS-150 in Motus; if a missed update already deactivated the number, here is how to reactivate a DOT number.
Why two carriers registered the same week have different deadlines
Because the schedule is derived from the number itself rather than your registration date, two carriers who got their authority on the same day can have deadlines nine months apart. This is the single most common reason a small carrier believes they are current when they are not.
UCR: annual, and priced by fleet size
The Unified Carrier Registration fee is annual, due before January 1 for the coming registration year, and set by how many commercial vehicles you operate. It is a separate obligation from the MCS-150 and confusing the two is common, the MCS-150 is free and biennial; UCR costs money and is annual.
The bracket boundaries matter more than most carriers realize if you are growing. For the 2027 registration year (filing opens October 1, 2026), adding a third truck moves you from $55 to $167, and a sixth truck moves you from $167 to $333. Every bracket and date is on the UCR renewal 2027 page.
The BOC-3: one filing, kept current
The BOC-3 designates a process agent in every state where you operate, and FMCSA will not grant authority without it. A blanket agent files it electronically for you, for a one-time fee of $25 to $50 paid to the agent. Only one BOC-3 can be on file at a time, so a new filing replaces the old one entirely.
It rarely needs attention after the first filing, until an agent stops operating or a carrier changes agents and forgets to confirm the new one posted. What it costs, who can file it and what voids it are in BOC-3 filing cost and how it works.
Work outside the plan: IRP and state registrations
IRP apportioned plates, permits and state registrations are not part of the membership. They depend on the states you run and the weights you carry, so they are quoted first and then billed at $95 an hour for members ($149 otherwise), one-hour minimum. Every add-on is listed on the pricing page.
Registration moved to Motus in 2026
FMCSA replaced the legacy Unified Registration System with Motus, which reached all users in May 2026. Motus uses Login.gov for sign-in and an identity check that FMCSA runs through IDEMIA, and USDOT PINs are no longer used. Your existing USDOT and docket numbers did not change.
One operational detail worth knowing: Motus is first claimed by the company official on your FMCSA Portal account, using the same Login.gov email, and FMCSA disables Portal accounts after 90 days of inactivity and archives them after 12 months. If that official has left or the Portal account has lapsed, getting in goes through the FMCSA Contact Center, which is a nasty surprise to discover in the last week of your filing month.
No, MC numbers were not eliminated
This circulates constantly and it is wrong. FMCSA has proposed to stop assigning MC numbers, but a proposal is not a rule, and nothing took effect with the Motus launch. If a service tells you your MC number is void and offers to fix it for a fee, that is a sales tactic.
UCR fees for 2027: the three brackets that cover fleets up to 20 vehicles
| Vehicles | 2027 fee | Typical operation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | $55 | Owner-operator, single truck |
| 3 to 5 | $167 | Small fleet |
| 6 to 20 | $333 | Growing fleet |
What each filing costs
TenFour membership, first truck
$99/month
Billed annually ($1,188/yr) · $119 month to month · +$59/month per additional truck
Billed annually; each additional truck +$59/month, every driver included. Preparing the UCR, every MCS-150 and the BOC-3 at onboarding is included. You submit from your own accounts and pay government and agent fees directly.
New Authority Starter, standalone
$199 one-time
Compliance profile and a twelve-month calendar, with the BOC-3, UCR, MCS-150 review and Clearinghouse registration prepared for you to sign and submit. For carriers not on a plan. Credited to a plan started within 60 days.
MCS-150 prepared for you, standalone
$199 one-time
The form costs $0 to file and our guide shows you how. If you would rather have it prepared, we prepare it within one business day, you submit it in your own Motus account, and we verify it in SAFER. For carriers not on a plan. Credited to a plan started within 60 days.
BOC-3 designation, standalone
$99 one-time
An approved blanket agent covering every state, set up in your name, the filing confirmed. You pay the agent's own fee ($25 to $50) directly to the agent. For carriers not on a plan. Credited to a plan started within 60 days.
UCR prepared for you, standalone
$129 one-time
Right bracket, right year, prepared for you to submit at ucr.gov, where you pay the government fee directly. Confirmation kept. For carriers not on a plan. Credited to a plan started within 60 days.
Every price for 1 to 6 trucks is published, no quote form, no sales call. See full pricing. Running 7 or more? Contact us for custom pricing.
What happens if you skip it
Registration lapses are the most avoidable failures in trucking, because every deadline is knowable years in advance and the MCS-150 itself is free to file. That is exactly what makes them hard to explain to an investigator.
- The rule's stated consequence for a missed MCS-150 is deactivation of your USDOT number, which means you are not authorized to operate. FMCSA has paused those deactivations since June 1, 2026 while carriers move onto Motus, with no end date announced, and the update is still required. Civil penalties run up to $1,584 for each day the violation continues, capped at $15,846 (49 CFR part 386, appendix B, adjusted for inflation; the statute's base figures are $1,000 a day and $10,000).
- A deactivated number fails broker carrier-vetting checks, so loads quietly stop coming before anyone tells you why.
- Insurance renewal becomes complicated when your authority status is inactive.
- An unpaid UCR is cited at roadside in participating states as a 392.2 UCR violation, with fines set by that state’s own law, amounts vary, and enforcement requires the state to have a supporting statute.
Sources
- 49 CFR 390.19T: Motor carrier identification report
- 49 CFR part 386, appendix B: Inflation-adjusted civil penalty maximums
- UCR Plan, official fee brackets
- FMCSA: Registration modernization (Motus) FAQs
- FMCSA: Updating your registration
- FMCSA: Temporary suspension of USDOT inactivation in Motus
Last reviewed October 2, 2026. TenFour is a compliance service, not a law firm, and is not affiliated with FMCSA or any government agency. This page explains federal requirements in plain English, verify specifics for your operation against the sources above.
Common questions
What is the MCS-150 biennial update?
A federal registration update every carrier must file every 24 months under 49 CFR 390.19T, even if nothing changed and even if you have stopped operating. Your filing month comes from the last digit of your USDOT number and the year from the next-to-last digit.
How do I find my MCS-150 due date?
The last digit of your USDOT number gives the month (1 = January through 9 = September, 0 = October) and the next-to-last digit gives the year, odd digit means odd years, even digit means even years. Our free calculator does it for you and shows the next two deadlines.
What does the MCS-150 cost to file?
Nothing. It is free through FMCSA. Any service charging you a filing fee is charging for the convenience, not the filing, which is worth knowing before you pay one.
Do I have to pay someone to file my MCS-150?
No. The MCS-150 is free to file in your own Motus account, and our guide walks through it step by step. Paying someone buys preparation and a second set of eyes, not access: no service can reach a channel you cannot. If you would rather have it prepared, we prepare it within one business day, you submit it, and we verify it in SAFER.
When is UCR due for 2027?
Registration for the 2027 year opens October 1, 2026 and is due before January 1, 2027, when enforcement for the new year begins. The fee is $55 for 0 to 2 vehicles, $167 for 3 to 5 and $333 for 6 to 20. File at ucr.gov; look-alike sites and mailers that charge well above those brackets are not the government.
What is UCR and when is it due?
The Unified Carrier Registration is an annual fee for interstate carriers, due before January 1 for the coming registration year and priced by fleet size. For the 2027 registration year it is $55 for 0 to 2 vehicles, $167 for 3 to 5 and $333 for 6 to 20. We prepare it; you submit it at ucr.gov and pay the fee there directly.
What changed with Motus?
FMCSA replaced the Unified Registration System with Motus in May 2026. You sign in with Login.gov and complete an identity check that FMCSA runs through IDEMIA, and USDOT PINs are no longer used. Existing USDOT and docket numbers are unchanged. Motus is first claimed by the company official on your FMCSA Portal account, and FMCSA disables Portal accounts after 90 days of inactivity, which matters for a biennial filing.
Were MC numbers eliminated?
No. FMCSA proposed to stop assigning them, but that requires a rulemaking and did not take effect with Motus. Your MC number remains valid. Treat anyone telling you otherwise (particularly if there is a fee attached) with suspicion.
What is the difference between IRP and IFTA?
IRP is apportioned registration, your plates, distributing registration fees among the states you run in. IFTA is fuel tax, reconciling miles driven per state against fuel purchased per state, filed quarterly. Different programs, different cycles, both usually needed for interstate operation.
Does TenFour mark up government fees?
No. You pay UCR, IRP and state fees directly to the agency, never through TenFour, and the MCS-150 costs $0 to file; we say so rather than charging you for a free form. The membership ($99/month for the first truck on the annual plan, $59/month for each additional truck) covers tracking the deadlines, preparing the filings and having a person check them before you submit. The government gets its fee at face value, straight from you. UCR, the MCS-150 and the BOC-3 are the filings most providers sell one at a time; here preparing them is part of the membership, on one renewal calendar and one bill.
Related
Related guides
Handled, for one published price per truck.
Part of the TenFour membership: $99/month for the first truck on the annual plan, +$59/month for each additional truck, every driver included. Built for carriers with 1 to 6 trucks; fleets of 7 or more are priced by conversation.
$99/month is the annual plan for one truck, billed $1,188 up front, about two months free against $119 month to month. Each additional truck is $59/month ($69 month to month), every driver included, up to six trucks. Cancel any month; remaining full months refunded.