How much does an MC number cost?

FMCSA charges $300 for each type of operating authority. A carrier applying only for property carrier authority pays $300 in FMCSA filing fees, and adding broker authority makes it $600. Insurance, the BOC-3 filing and UCR registration are separate costs.

Is the $300 fee per truck?

No. FMCSA charges it per type of authority, and its fee table has no per-truck charge. Fleet size does change your UCR fee and your insurance premium.

How much does it cost to reinstate MC authority?

FMCSA lists $80 to reinstate authority. You also need the missing filing back on record first, usually new insurance or a new BOC-3, and those carry their own costs.

What is the UCR fee for a one-truck carrier?

For registration year 2027, the fee is $55 for a carrier with 0 to 2 vehicles under 49 CFR 367.50. The next bracket, 3 to 5 vehicles, is $167.

How much does MC authority cost?

By Jake Marsh · Reviewed November 6, 2026 · Numbers are Rookiefeed analysis as of November 15, 2026, updated daily · How the list is built

FMCSA charges $300 for each type of operating authority you apply for, so a property carrier's MC number costs $300 in FMCSA filing fees. That fee doesn't cover the whole start. You also pay for liability insurance, a BOC-3 process agent filing and annual UCR registration, which is $55 for 2027 if you run up to 2 vehicles.

What FMCSA charges

FMCSA says separate fees apply to each kind of authority, so applying for property carrier and broker authority together comes to $600. The fee is per authority type, and FMCSA's fee table has no per-truck charge.

FMCSA's fee table has no separate line for the USDOT number itself. You apply for the USDOT number and authority together in Motus and pay there through Pay.gov. FMCSA's Motus FAQ says no fee changes were planned for the system's first release.

Action	FMCSA fee	Notes
Operating authority application	$300	Per type of authority
Reinstate authority	$80	Listed in FMCSA's fee table; see how to reinstate revoked authority
Name change on an authority	$14	No fee while the application is still pending
USDOT record update (MCS-150)	$0	FMCSA lists it as free of charge

What else a new for-hire carrier pays for

Authority can't go active until the insurance and BOC-3 filings are on record, so those two costs come before the grant. See what filings are required before authority goes active.

Cost	Who you pay	What sets the amount
Liability insurance	Your insurer	Your quote. FMCSA sets the coverage, not the price: $750,000 for non-hazardous freight in vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more, $300,000 under that
BOC-3 process agent filing	A process agent or blanket company	The provider's price
UCR registration	The UCR program	Fleet size, renewed each year (table below)
Drug and alcohol testing program	A testing provider	The provider's price. FMCSA treats having no program as an automatic safety audit failure
State registrations	Your state	Your state and fleet

UCR fees for 2027

Fees come from 49 CFR 367.50. The UCR program's site showed 2027 registration open as of November 2026. Brokers and leasing companies pay $55 per entity.

Vehicles owned or operated	Fee per carrier
0 to 2	$55
3 to 5	$167
6 to 20	$333
21 to 100	$1,163
101 to 1,000	$5,548
1,001 and above	$54,165

How the bill grows after you apply

Picking the wrong authority. FMCSA's insurance requirements depend on the type, and each extra type is another $300, so choose only what you plan to run.
Letting a filing lapse. If insurance or the BOC-3 falls off record, you pay for the new filing and FMCSA's $80 reinstatement fee.
Changing your name after the grant. That's $14 per FMCSA's fee table, and a name that doesn't match your other filings can delay the grant in the first place.
Paying fake notices. FMCSA's fraud alerts describe bogus emails and letters about carrier status, audits and required updates. Check your record in Motus before paying anyone.

If you sell to new carriers

A carrier that just paid for authority, insurance and filings is often waiting on its first loads, which is why factoring and dispatch conversations start early. The median first-time carrier in our recent data waited 23 days from application to grant (Rookiefeed analysis), so the application fee goes out weeks before any freight income. See how long MC authority takes.

Rookiefeed emails every newly granted carrier in your states by 7am Central, with the owner, phone, email and insurer on file. Rookiefeed is $59 a month for one state once a week, $149 for one state every day, $299 for up to 8 states and $599 for every state, and you can cancel any time. Build a free list to see the rows.

Questions

How much does an MC number cost?: FMCSA charges $300 for each type of operating authority. A carrier applying only for property carrier authority pays $300 in FMCSA filing fees, and adding broker authority makes it $600. Insurance, the BOC-3 filing and UCR registration are separate costs.
Is the $300 fee per truck?: No. FMCSA charges it per type of authority, and its fee table has no per-truck charge. Fleet size does change your UCR fee and your insurance premium.
How much does it cost to reinstate MC authority?: FMCSA lists $80 to reinstate authority. You also need the missing filing back on record first, usually new insurance or a new BOC-3, and those carry their own costs.
What is the UCR fee for a one-truck carrier?: For registration year 2027, the fee is $55 for a carrier with 0 to 2 vehicles under 49 CFR 367.50. The next bracket, 3 to 5 vehicles, is $167.

Every new carrier, by 7am

Owner name, phone, email, fleet, equipment and insurer for each carrier FMCSA authorized yesterday, as a CSV.

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Sources: FMCSA: Get Operating Authority (filing fees) · 49 CFR 360.3T (schedule of filing fees) · FMCSA: Insurance Filing Requirements · 49 CFR 367.50 (UCR fees for 2027 and later) · FMCSA: Registration Modernization FAQs · FMCSA: New Entrant Safety Assurance Program · FMCSA: Fraud Alerts