How to Check Your USDOT Number Status (and When Your MCS-150 Is Due)

Checking your USDOT status takes two minutes and is free. Here's where to look, what each line means, and how to tell when your next update is due.

Step 1: Look up your number on SAFER

1. Go to FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot.
2. Search by USDOT number, MC number or company name.
3. Read these lines on the snapshot:

• USDOT Status: Active means you're registered. Inactive means FMCSA deactivated the number, most often for a missed biennial update.
• Out of Service Date: any date here means the company is under an out-of-service order. See our out-of-service guide.
• Operating Authority Status: for for-hire carriers, whether your MC authority is active, pending or revoked.
• MCS-150 Form Date: when your registration was last updated. Your next update counts from your schedule, below.

Do DOT numbers need to be renewed?

No. A USDOT number doesn't expire and there's no renewal fee. What keeps it active is the MCS-150 biennial update: every carrier must update its registration every 24 months, even if nothing changed (49 CFR 390.19). Skip it and FMCSA can deactivate the number. When people search for how to "renew" a DOT number, this update is what they need.

When is your MCS-150 due?

FMCSA sets your due date from the last two digits of your USDOT number:

• Month: the last digit. 1 is January, 2 is February, through 9 for September, and 0 is October.
• Year: the next-to-last digit. If it's odd, you file in odd-numbered years. If it's even, you file in even-numbered years.

You also have to update within 30 days of a change, such as a new address, a different fleet size or a change in what you haul.

Filing it yourself vs. having it filed

Filing the MCS-150 directly with FMCSA doesn't cost anything. Be wary of any email or website that tells you a payment is required to "renew" your DOT number. Before you pay anyone, check who they are.

If you'd rather not deal with the PIN, the login and the questions, USAFE files the MCS-150 biennial update for $350, and a mid-cycle Central File Update (new address, name, fleet or driver counts) for $299. If your number is already inactive, start with our reinstatement guide.

Call 702-988-9990. USAFE Services, 9079 W Post Rd, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89148.

USAFE Services is registered with FMCSA as a Supporting Company, Filer #5191541. USAFE Services doesn't provide legal advice.

Sources: 49 CFR 390.19 (ecfr.gov/current/title-49); FMCSA, "When am I required to file a biennial update?" (fmcsa.dot.gov); FMCSA SAFER, safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.