FacebookTweetLinkedInEmailPrint A major administrative shift is coming to the trucking industry.Starting October 1, 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will phase out Motor Carrier (MC) numbers, consolidating all federal motor carrier, broker, and freight forwarder registrations under a single USDOT number.This change is part of FMCSA’s Registration Modernization initiative and aims to simplify identification, reduce fraud, and streamline compliance.  If you run a trucking company, this change impacts how you mark your trucks, how industry partners verify your authority, and how you manage compliance.

Below is what you need to know and what you need to do to be prepared.Why FMCSA Is Eliminating MC Numbers For years, trucking entities have held both a USDOT number (for safety and compliance tracking) and an MC number (for operating authority).The dual‑system has led to confusion, redundant records, and fraud opportunities such as “chameleon carriers” that retire an MC number and start fresh under a new one.  Under the Registration Modernization plan, FMCSA will: In short: your USDOT becomes your main ID.

Your authority is tracked via suffixes, not a separate MC number.What Will Show on Your Truck Doors A key question is how motor carriers should display authority markings on their trucks once MC numbers are retired.Here’s what the current information suggests: How to Verify Authority and Interstate Status (SAFER, URS, etc.) Once MC numbers are retired, how will brokers, shippers, and the public check whether a carrier is active, in good standing, and has interstate authority? Here’s what the new system will enable: As a result, brokers and shippers that formerly validated carriers via MC numbers will need to shift to USDOT + suffix and rely on the new URS / SAFER data sources.

What Trucking Companies Should Do to Prepare To ensure a smooth transition by October 1, 2025, here is a practical checklist: Ensure your USDOT number is active and accurateCheck your business name, address, contact info, and authority status in FMCSA’s systems, especially in the MCS-150 filings.Update all documentationReplace MC number references in contracts, permits, BOC-3 filings, insurance policies, factoring documents, dispatch systems, and your website.Notify business partnersInform brokers, shippers, and insurance providers that MC numbers will be retired and that USDOT is the identifier going forward.

Adapt your internal systemsAdjust TMS, CRM, dispatch, compliance, or back-office software to drop MC-required fields and support the USDOT + suffix format.Obtain a Login.gov accountEnsure your business principals or authorized representatives have an active Login.gov identity to use URS.Monitor FMCSA updates and compliance rulesURS will roll out in phases, so stay current with FMCSA announcements for when new functionalities and enforcement become active.

Train your staff and communicationMake sure your compliance, dispatch, sales, and admin teams know about the change and can answer questions accurately.Potential Challenges & Risks Even though this change promises simplification in the long term, there are short-term challenges to watch out for: What This Means for Your Business The elimination of MC numbers is a watershed moment for U.S.trucking regulation.

It moves the industry to a more streamlined, fraud-resistant framework by consolidating all authority and compliance tracking under one unchanging USDOT number.For carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders, success in this transition depends on early preparation: updating all references, verifying your USDOT, communicating to partners, and ensuring your systems are compliant.The carriers who treat this not merely as a bureaucratic update but an opportunity to clean up operations will come out ahead.

Want help navigating this transition? The team at InsuranceHub can assist with updating your documentation, communicating the change, and making sure your authority remains active and verifiable under the new system.FacebookTweetLinkedInEmailPrint