When is your MCS-150 biennial update due?
Enter your USDOT number. We'll show your due date, what FMCSA has on file for you, and how to file it yourself for free.
Trucker Path Insurance is a licensed insurance agency. We are not FMCSA and we are not affiliated with any government agency. Filing your biennial update is free and you do it yourself at motus.dot.gov.
Your filing month is set by your last digit
The second-to-last digit sets the year: odd means odd-numbered years, even means even-numbered years. It's due the last day of that month, and it never moves, no matter when you last filed. There is no November or December filing month.
Is FMCSA deactivating USDOT numbers right now?
As of August 26, 2026: FMCSA has paused deactivating USDOT numbers for missed biennial updates.
FMCSA temporarily suspended inactivation of USDOT numbers for entities that have not completed the required biennial update, to reduce disruption during the Motus transition. There is no announced end date. The statutory penalty is still on the books: failure to complete a biennial update results in deactivation of your USDOT number and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000. This is a pause, not a repeal.
Source: FMCSA, notice last updated June 22, 2026.
Common questions
- When is my MCS-150 biennial update due?
- Your due date is set by your USDOT number, not by when you last filed. The last digit sets the month (1 = January through 9 = September, 0 = October) and the second-to-last digit sets the year: an odd digit means odd-numbered years, an even digit means even-numbered years. It is due the last day of that month, and the date is permanent for the life of the number.
- How much does a biennial update cost?
- Nothing. FMCSA charges no fee for a biennial update and you file it yourself at motus.dot.gov. Third parties charge roughly $50 to $350 to type it in for you. What they cannot do is create your Login.gov account or pass identity verification for you, so you are showing up in Motus either way.
- I filed six months ago. Do I still have to file in my due month?
- Probably not. An update filed within the 12 months before your due date satisfies that cycle. Your next due date does not move, though: it stays two years out from the original.
- Is FMCSA deactivating USDOT numbers for missed biennial updates?
- Not right now. FMCSA temporarily suspended inactivation of USDOT numbers for missed biennial updates to reduce disruption during the Motus transition, with no announced end date. That is a pause, not a repeal: the rule still provides for deactivation plus civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000.
- Can someone else file my biennial update for me?
- Only partly. A designated transportation service provider can do the data entry in Motus, but you have to create your own Login.gov account and pass identity verification yourself, because that is tied to your government ID. For a new registration application FMCSA states that the company official must review the provider's entries and submit the final oaths and certifications; it has not published the same explicit language for biennial updates. FMCSA describes the company official as the company owner or an individual authorized to sign documents on behalf of the company.
The numbers in your filing are the numbers you're rated on
Power units, drivers, mileage, radius, and cargo are the same fields insurers use to price your policy, and underwriters pull them from your public FMCSA record. If that record describes a business you no longer run, you're being quoted on the wrong numbers.
Get a quote on your real numbers