What Is FMCSA Motus?
Reviewed
Motus is FMCSA's USDOT Registration System: one online dashboard where motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and other regulated companies register, apply for operating authority and keep their records up to date. Insurers and process agent companies file through it too. Motus replaced the registration functions of the legacy URS, L&I and FMCSA Portal systems, which were retired at 8pm ET on May 14, 2026.
What changed with Motus
Users sign in through Login.gov. New filings and applications happen in Motus; the retired systems no longer take them.
- New USDOT and docket numbers are randomized, so a higher number no longer means a newer company.
- Each newly granted authority gets its own docket number, even when one application asks for several.
- New USDOT numbers show a suffix for the registration type, such as C for a property carrier or B for a broker.
- Statuses keep their names, but Motus shows the reason next to each, like the filing a pending application is waiting on.
Where new grants show up now
Lead lists built on the old FMCSA Register stopped updating after the cutover. Rookiefeed follows new grants under Motus and sends them every morning.
Volume didn't drop with the system: 5,591 carriers were granted authority and 8,044 new applications were filed in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026. More in FMCSA Motus explained and the FMCSA new authority list after Motus.
Questions
- Is Motus replacing SAFER?
- Motus replaced the registration functions of URS, L&I and the FMCSA Portal. During the transition, carriers reported Motus and SAFER showing different statuses for the same USDOT number, so check Motus, FMCSA's registration system of record, before acting on a status you saw elsewhere.
Every newly granted carrier, by 7am
MC and USDOT numbers, owner name, phone, email, trucks, equipment and the insurer on file, for each carrier FMCSA authorized yesterday.
Go deeper
Related terms
- USDOT number The registration number FMCSA assigns to companies operating commercial motor vehicles, used to track their safety record.
- MC number The docket number FMCSA assigns to a motor carrier's operating authority, written MC followed by digits.
- MCS-150 The Motor Carrier Identification Report carriers use to register and update their USDOT information, including fleet size and cargo.
Sources: FMCSA: Motus changes to FMCSA registrations (fact sheet) · FMCSA: get operating authority (MC number)