Registering for a USDOT Number

Oct 22, 2023 | Business Insurance, Personal Insurance

USDOT Number: What Is It?

Companies that drive commercial vehicles in interstate commerce to carry people or move goods must register with the FMCSA and obtain a USDOT number. Commercial intrastate hazardous material carriers must also register for a USDOT Number if they transport materials in quantities and types that need a safety permit. When gathering and keeping track of a company’s safety data gathered during audits, compliance reviews, crash investigations, and inspections, the USDOT Number acts as a distinctive identification.


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State Requirements for USDOT Numbers

In addition to federal laws, certain states demand that those who register intrastate commercial motor vehicles obtain a USDOT Number. These states consist of:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Jersey, New
  • New York
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • N. Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Virgin Islands
  • Carolina, South
  • Texas
  • Washington
  • North Carolina
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

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How to Apply for Your USDOT Number in Steps

  1. ASSESS WHETHER YOU REQUIRE A USDOT NUMBER

If a USDOT application is required, it is the first thing you must decide. A few carriers are exempt, but the majority do. Check the following list to see if you require a USDOT number. The USDOT registration form must be completed by motor carriers:

They are traveling between states and drive cars that weigh more than ten thousand pounds. Thus, carry 9–15 passengers (including the driver) for payment for 16 or more passengers, including the driver, must be transported without payment transporting dangerous substances. If none of these apply to your company, you might simply need to register with your state office or local government rather than submitting a USDOT application.


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  1. ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE REQUIRED INFORMATION.

Although the USDOT application is quite simple, you will need to be aware of some fundamental facts regarding your company. Along with your name, address, and other personal information, you must complete the following:

  • Operation Classification for a Company
  • classification of hazardous materials for cargo (if applicable)
  • Vehicles in Number
  • Vehicle Types
  • Vehicle Ownership (own, term lease, trip lease)
  • Chauffeur Status (intrastate, interstate, total drivers, total CDL drivers)

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USDOT number
  1. DOWNLOAD OR FILE ONLINE THE CORRECT USDOT APPLICATION FORM

Three alternative USDOT application forms are available. You must complete the appropriate form for your company. The documents are:

  • MCS-150 (basic shape for practically all carriers) (basic form for almost all carriers)
  • MCS-150B (combined USDOT number and HazMat application) (combination USDOT number and HazMat application)
  • MCS-150C (combined USDOT number and Intermodal Equipment Provider application) (combination USDOT number and Intermodal Equipment Provider application)
  • The system will select the appropriate form for you if you submit your USDOT application online using the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website.

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  1. Fill out the form and send it in or register with USDOT online.

Once the required paperwork has been entirely completed, you must mail it to the FMCSA at the following address: FMCSA Notice: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 USDOT Number Application. However, there is no charge to submit a USDOT registration application.


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  1. WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR GETTING MY USDOT NUMBER?

Instantaneous processing of USDOT registration and issuance of USDOT numbers (unless rejected). Subsequently, USDOT applications submitted by mail require four to six weeks for processing. Hence, applications submitted by mail that are not legible, incomplete, or not signed will be rejected and returned without a USDOT number.


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WHY DOES THE ONLINE USDOT APPLICATION NEED INFORMATION FROM MY CREDIT CARD? I THOUGHT I WAS EXEMPT FROM PAYMENT FOR THIS.

Additionally, information from credit cards is now used by the FMCSA to verify your identity. You won’t be charged for your USDOT number, so don’t worry.


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IF I DON’T HAVE A CREDIT CARD, WHAT DO I DO? CAN I APPLY ONLINE YET?

No. Meanwhile, this data is currently being used by the FMCSA as your digital signature. Thus, you will need to print the necessary paperwork and mail them if you are unable to provide accurate credit card information online.


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CAN I PAY FOR MY USDOT REGISTRATION WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S CREDIT CARD?

No. To identify people, the FMCSA uses credit card information. This general guideline is only altered when an agent registers a client with the USDOT. The agent may use his or her knowledge in this situation.


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WHAT DOES A PROVIDER OF INTERMODAL EQUIPMENT DO?

In addition, equipment used to move freight using several different modes of transportation is referred to as intermodal equipment. Intermodal transportation occurs when goods are loaded from a ship onto a truck, transported by that truck to a rail yard, and then loaded onto a train. To sum up, the Intermodal Equipment Providers—companies that offer intermodal chassis used to carry freight from one carrier to another—began to fall within the regulatory purview of the FMCSA in 2009. Containers can be pre-loaded onto an intermodal chassis so that when a carrier comes, all they must do is connect their vehicle to the chassis. Moreover, after unhooking the chassis and moving it to a new site, the carrier might transfer the cargo to a different business. An Intermodal Equipment Provider frequently leases these intermodal chassis and associated equipment.


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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CARGO THAT THE MCS-150 ACCEPTS?

  • General freight items for the home
  • Metal (sheets, coils, rolls) (sheets, coils, rolls)
  • Motorized vehicles
  • Drive off or tow away
  • Lumber, poles, beams, and logs
  • Building supplies
  • Portable homes
  • Large equipment and things
  • Recent produce
  • Liquids/gases
  • Continued Intermodal Passengers
  • oil field machinery
  • Livestock
  • Hay, feed, and grains
  • Coal/coke
  • Meta
  • Trash, rubbish, and garbage
  • USA Post
  • Chemicals
  • products dry bulk
  • chilled food
  • Beverages
  • Paper-based utility
  • Farm equipment
  • Construction
  • Well, water
  • Other Explosives (with a large explosion, projection, fire, or no discernible blast, for example)
  • explosive gas
  • Petroleum Gas Liquefied (LPG)
  • Gas methane
  • combustible-free compressed gas
  • Hydrogenated ammonia
  • toxic gas that poses a risk of poison inhalation (PIH)
  • Poison gas that is in PIH Zones B, C, or D
  • Category 3/3A/3B Combustible and Flammable Liquid
  • flammable liquid
  • combustible solid
  • spontaneously flammable substances
  • When wet, hazardous substance
  • Oxidizer
  • Biological peroxide
  • harmful substance
  • Moreover, zone A/Zone B poisonous liquid according to the PIH
  • Poison (liquid with no inhalation hazard) (liquid with no inhalation hazard)
  • solid poisonous
  • radioactive substances
  • Radioactive Material Quantity on a Highway Route (HRCQ)
  • Category 8/8A/8B Corrosive Substance
  • Class 9 Additional HazMat
  • material with a higher temperature
  • contaminated waste
  • maritime toxins

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