The FMCSA requires every active motor carrier to update their MCS-150 every two years. The update is free and takes about 10 minutes online. You don't need a service to file it for you — and most of the companies offering to file it on your behalf are charging $40 to $200 for what the FMCSA does for free.
Here's how to do it yourself.
What the MCS-150 is
The MCS-150 is the Motor Carrier Identification Report. It's how the FMCSA keeps your carrier record current — your address, your operation classification, your number of vehicles, your annual mileage, your driver count, and the operating authority you hold. It is not your operating authority itself (that's the MC number); it's the registration that the operating authority is attached to.
Per 49 CFR §390.19, every carrier must file an updated MCS-150 every 24 months from the month their USDOT was originally issued, and any time their information changes. Miss the biennial update and the FMCSA may deactivate your USDOT — which makes operating illegal until you file.
When yours is due
The biennial schedule depends on the last digit of your USDOT number and whether the second-to-last digit is even or odd. The pattern:
- USDOTs ending in 1: January (odd second-to-last) or July (even)
- USDOTs ending in 2: February or August
- USDOTs ending in 3: March or September
- USDOTs ending in 4: April or October
- USDOTs ending in 5: May or November
- USDOTs ending in 6: June or December
- USDOTs ending in 7: July or January
- USDOTs ending in 8: August or February
- USDOTs ending in 9: September or March
- USDOTs ending in 0: October or April
Use the FMCSA's online lookup to confirm your exact next-due date. The system will show "Biennial Update Due" with the deadline in red as the date approaches.
How to file (online, the only way you should)
The FMCSA recommends online filing through the Unified Registration System (URS). Paper filing is still permitted but processes slower and is more likely to introduce data-entry errors.
Step 1 — Log into the FMCSA portal
Go to the FMCSA portal at portal.fmcsa.dot.gov and log in with your portal account. If you don't have an account, you'll set up one with your USDOT number and PIN. The PIN was emailed to the address on file when your USDOT was issued. If you've lost it, the portal has a PIN recovery option, but it goes to the email on file, so make sure that's still an address you can access.
Step 2 — Open the MCS-150 update form
From the portal home, select "Update MCS-150 / Biennial Update." The form pre-populates with your current information.
Step 3 — Verify carrier information
Confirm legal name and DBA. If your legal name changed (you reincorporated, you sold the company, you got married and changed your name on your sole-prop business), this is the place. A name change may require additional documentation — be ready to upload it.
Step 4 — Verify principal place of business
This is the address that your carrier records are kept at. It must be a physical address in the United States — no PO boxes for the principal address. A virtual mailbox or commercial mail receiving agency address is generally acceptable for the mailing address but not for the principal place of business. The principal address must be a real location where records can be inspected.
Step 5 — Verify operation classification
Choose all that apply: Authorized For-Hire, Exempt For-Hire, Private Property, Private Passenger (Business), Private Passenger (Non-Business), Migrant, US Mail, Federal Government, State Government, Local Government, Indian Tribe.
Most owner-operators select Authorized For-Hire and possibly Private Property. Choose carefully — operation classification affects which audit standards apply to you.
Step 6 — Verify cargo classification
Select every cargo type you haul. The list includes general freight, household goods, metal sheets/coils/rolls, motor vehicles, drive away/towaway, logs/poles/beams/lumber, building materials, mobile homes, machinery/large objects, fresh produce, liquids/gases, intermodal containers, passengers, oilfield equipment, livestock, grain/feed/hay, coal/coke, meat, garbage/refuse/trash, US mail, chemicals, commodities dry bulk, refrigerated food, beverages, paper products, utilities, agricultural/farm supplies, construction, and water well.
Be honest. Auditors compare your cargo classification to your bills of lading. If you marked General Freight only and you're hauling refrigerated food, you have an inconsistency.
Step 7 — Hazmat
If you transport any hazardous materials, including waste hazardous materials, you must select the appropriate hazmat classifications and may have additional registration requirements.
Step 8 — Power units and drivers
Power units = number of straight trucks, truck tractors, and motor coaches you operate. Don't count trailers — they're not power units.
Drivers = total drivers working under your USDOT, including the owner-operator if they drive. Distinguish between interstate and intrastate drivers.
Step 9 — Mileage
Report the total VMT (vehicle miles traveled) for the most recent 12-month period. Use your IFTA, ELD, or odometer records to come up with an accurate number. The FMCSA uses your mileage to calibrate your safety performance scores under CSA — under-reporting can make your scores look worse than they actually are.
Step 10 — Certify and submit
Read the certification carefully. By submitting, you certify under penalty of perjury that the information is true and correct. Then submit. You'll receive a confirmation page; print it or save it as PDF for your records.
Common mistakes
- Filing late. The deadline is real. Late filers can have their USDOT deactivated. Reactivation requires re-filing and may require additional steps.
- Wrong principal address. A PO box or an office you no longer occupy will trigger an audit flag and can constitute a §390.19 violation in itself.
- Under-reported mileage. Drives your CSA scores in the wrong direction.
- Wrong driver count. Affects your random testing pool size and the §382.305 minimum testing rates that apply.
- Stale operation classification. If you started as Private Property and added For-Hire, your classification needs updating.
- Letting a third-party vendor file for you without reviewing. Some compliance services fill in the form themselves and submit; if they get it wrong, you certified it. Always review what's actually submitted.
You don't need to pay anyone for this
The MCS-150 is filed free of charge through the FMCSA portal. Anyone offering to file it for you is charging for the service of doing the same thing you can do in 10 minutes. There is no fee the FMCSA collects for the biennial update.
There are legitimate reasons to use a third party — convenience, reminders, name-change paperwork — but for a routine update on a single-truck operation, filing it yourself is the right move.
Set a reminder for two years from now
The mistake carriers make twice is letting the biennial slip. Set a calendar reminder 60 days before the next due date, and again 30 days before. If you use Roadworthy HQ, the MCS-150 biennial deadline appears in your dashboard alert window automatically — but a free Google Calendar reminder works fine if you'd rather DIY.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. The MCS-150 instructions on the FMCSA portal are the authoritative source.