MCS-150 biennial update explained: your filing month, the digit rule, and what happens if you miss it

The MCS-150 is the form behind your USDOT number. It holds your company name, address, operation type, cargo, vehicle and driver counts. FMCSA requires every carrier to confirm or update that information every two years, on a schedule that is encoded in the USDOT number itself. Miss it and the number is deactivated. Here is how the schedule works and what to do.

The rule in one sentence

Under 49 CFR 390.19, every entity with a USDOT number must file an MCS-150 update every 24 months, in the month indicated by the last digit of the USDOT number, in a year indicated by the second-to-last digit.

The month: last digit

Last digit	Filing month
1	January
2	February
3	March
4	April
5	May
6	June
7	July
8	August
9	September
0	October

There are no November or December months in the cycle.

The year: second-to-last digit

If the second-to-last digit is even (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8), you file in even-numbered years. If it is odd (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9), you file in odd-numbered years.

Worked examples

USDOT 1234567. Last digit 7, so July. Second-to-last digit 6, even, so even years. This carrier files in July 2026, July 2028, and so on.

USDOT 3456789. Last digit 9, so September. Second-to-last digit 8, even, so even years. Files in September 2026, September 2028.

USDOT 2223210. Last digit 0, so October. Second-to-last digit 1, odd, so odd years. Files in October 2027, October 2029.

USDOT 4000015. Last digit 5, so May. Second-to-last digit 1, odd, so odd years. Files in May 2027.

USDOT 987654. A six-digit number works the same way. Last digit 4, April. Second-to-last 5, odd. Files in April 2027.

New carriers

A carrier that received its USDOT number in the last 24 months is not off the hook. FMCSA treats the initial registration as the first filing, and the first biennial update is due in the carrier’s month and year as calculated above, even if that is less than two years away. A carrier that got its number in March 2026 with a number ending in 47 files in July 2026, four months later.

Updating outside the cycle

The biennial update is the minimum. You also need to update the MCS-150 within 30 days when your information changes in a way that affects your registration, such as:

• A change of legal name or DBA.
• A change of principal place of business address.
• A change in operation classification, for example from private to for-hire.
• A change in the cargo you carry, including starting to haul hazmat.
• A significant change in the number of vehicles or drivers.

Any filing resets the 24-month clock, so a mid-cycle change filing can replace that cycle’s biennial update. Keep the confirmation page from Motus as proof.

Vehicle count matters beyond the form. Your UCR bracket, your insurance rating and the scope of a compliance review all reference it.

What happens if you miss it

Two things, under 49 CFR 390.19 and the FMCSA penalty schedule:

1. Deactivation. FMCSA deactivates the USDOT number. The number is not cancelled, but it shows inactive in the public registry and in roadside systems. Operating on an inactive USDOT number is a violation that can result in the vehicle being placed out of service. Brokers who check the registry before tendering a load will see it.
2. Civil penalties. The statutory penalty for failing to file is up to 1,000 USD per day, capped at 10,000 USD. The inflation-adjusted figures published each year are somewhat higher. In practice the penalty is assessed during an enforcement action rather than automatically, but the deactivation is automatic.

Reactivation means filing the overdue update. The record usually updates within a few business days. There is no fee, but there are lost loads while the number shows inactive.

How to file in Motus

Since May 14, 2026, the MCS-150 is filed in Motus, FMCSA’s registration system, not through the old FMCSA Portal.

1. Sign in at motus.dot.gov with the Login.gov account of a verified company official. If nobody at the company has completed identity verification yet, that is the first step, and it has to be done by an owner or employee.
2. Open your carrier record and choose the update option.
3. Review every field. Name, addresses, phone, email, operation classification, cargo, vehicle counts by type (owned, term leased, trip leased), driver counts, and hazmat information. The form pre-fills with your current record.
4. Certify and submit. Save the confirmation.
5. Check the public registry a few days later to confirm the record shows the new date.

A third-party filer authorized inside Motus can complete steps 2 through 5 for you. The filer cannot do step 1.

Paper filing by mail still exists but is slow and adds weeks. Fax filing has been discontinued.

Watch for lookalike notices

Carriers receive letters and calls timed to their biennial month from companies that imitate FMCSA. They use “MCS-150 renewal” language, quote a fee, and threaten deactivation. FMCSA never charges for the update, never robocalls, and does not endorse any filing service. A real deactivation shows in your own record in Motus, which is the place to check.

Calendar tip

Put the biennial month on the same calendar as UCR, IFTA quarters and the consortium renewal. If your month falls in the fourth quarter, file it in October with UCR. If it falls earlier, file it the month it is due and do not wait for a letter.

What Profirm does for you

Profirm tracks your biennial month, confirms the data with you a few weeks ahead, and files the update in Motus as your authorized filer. At the time of writing the MCS-150 update is 79 USD with no government fee, and it is included in the Owner-Operator Plan at 449 USD a year and in the Small Fleet Plan. If your number has already been deactivated, we file the same day and send the confirmation. Profirm is a private firm and is not affiliated with FMCSA.