Fees and cost

How Much Does a USDOT Number Application Cost?

The USDOT number itself has no FMCSA charge. Other filings people often bundle with the application, including operating authority, are billed separately. You can apply in Motus yourself at no charge for the number.

The USDOT number application has no FMCSA fee

FMCSA states that there is no charge to get a USDOT number. That is the fee rule for the identification number, not for every filing a trucking company may also need. You can read it on FMCSA's page Who needs to get a USDOT number?.

The time-consuming part is not paying for the number. It is gathering matching business details and completing Motus sign-in and identity verification.

Operating authority is a separate payment

If you also need interstate operating authority (an MC, FF, or MX authority), that is a different filing with its own fee. FMCSA's May 20, 2023 fee page lists a one-time $300 per authority type, and says the fee is nonrefundable. The same page gives the example that two different authority types would be $600. Confirm the current amount on FMCSA's operating-authority fee page before you pay, in case the figure has changed.

If you need authority, you also have a separate form, a fee to confirm, and later insurance and process-agent filings. Those follow-up steps are what usually stretch the work, and we do not promise a completion date.

For a comparison of when a USDOT number is enough and when authority is also required, see USDOT number vs. MC number.

Other FMCSA fees people confuse with the application

The same 2023 fee page lists an $80 fee to reinstate operating authority. It also mentions a name-change processing charge; that figure should be confirmed on the current FMCSA fee page before you rely on it. The biennial update of an existing USDOT record is described as having no processing fee on Updating Your Registration.

Reinstatement, name-change, and similar charges, when they apply, are easy to mix up with the USDOT number itself. Checking the current FMCSA fee page takes a little time and avoids paying the wrong item.

Optional filing help is not an FMCSA fee

If you want this site to prepare and file an application, that is an independent service fee, quoted before work begins. It is not a government charge, and it is not required. Filing in Motus yourself remains available at no FMCSA charge for the USDOT number.

A service fee, if you want help, is quoted before work begins and is separate from any government fee. You can still file in Motus yourself at no FMCSA charge for the number.

FMCSA has said there were no planned changes to registration fees with the initial Motus release, and that later adjustments would go through rulemaking. Re-check Registration Modernization FAQs if you need the current statement.

Where to apply at no government charge for the USDOT number

New applications are filed in Motus at motus.dot.gov. See how to apply online, or start on our USDOT number application page if you want preparation help.

Motus still requires a Login.gov account and identity verification, so the no-charge filing is not a single short form.

Frequently asked questions