FEDERAL APPLICATIONS PROCESSOR

U.S. DOT
BIENNIAL UPDATE

ONLINE APPLICATION

GENERAL INFORMATION



The United States Department of Transportation requires all motor carriers operating under a federally-issued U.S. DOT number to file a Biennial Update every 24 months as specified in the Code of Federal Regulations CFR Title 49 Part 390.19.

The filing period (filing deadline) is determined by the U.S. DOT number assigned to your company. To learn more click "More Information" below or call (240) 544-0881 to speak with a compliance officer.


Failure to complete a Biennial Update will result in deactivation of your USDOT number and may result in civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, not to exceed $10,000.

File Online

The quickest and easiest way to comply with the U.S. DOT Biennial Update is through an online application: Biennial Update Online Application

File by Phone

If you prefer to speak to a processing officer or file by phone call 240-544-0881 for the Biennial Update Division, Monday through Friday 8AM-6PM CST & Saturdays 9AM-2PM CST.

File by Mail or e-Fax (Pre-paid)

Unable to complete online? No problem. Alternatively you may complete the Biennial Update through a paper application by mail or faxing it over by e-Fax.

Spanish Biennial Update (MCS-150)

In order to file a Spanish language version of MCS-150 form, please visit Bienal MCS-150

WHO MUST FILE THE UPDATE?



The United States Department of Transportation Biennial Update is a federal requirement pertaining to and required of all entities operating under a federally-issued U.S. DOT Number. A U.S. DOT number is a "number" issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that "tags" your vehicles with the federal Department of Transportation thereby making your vehicles available for monitoring and safety performance analysis.


Do I Need a DOT Number?
A U.S. DOT number is required for all vehicles that meet any of the following criteria:

  • 10,000+ lbs in GVWR
  • Transports 8 or more passengers for compensation
  • Transports 15 passengers not for compensation
  • Transports Hazardous Materials per 49 CFR 385.403

and operate interstate (cross state lines or transport goods originating from or with a destination outside of the home state). Some states require a federal U.S. DOT number even if the vehicle is involved only in intrastate travel (never crosses state lines). These states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.


State Regulations vs Federal Regulations

It is important to differentiate between state and federal regulations. Some states may require a motor carrier to obtain a state DOT number in addition to the federal DOT number. Other states may require a motor carrier to obtain an operating authority or a Commission of Commerce number. While these are valid requirements and your compliance with them is mandated by your state, it should be stressed that motor carriers must comply with federal regulations, such as the Biennial Update, in addition to complying with state regulations. This may be confusing to motor carriers that operate within state lines (intrastate carriers) and are normally not subject to federal requirements but it should be stressed that the DOT number is issued by the federal government and therefore all motor carriers operating under such number are subject to federal regulations.


WHEN MUST THE BIENNIAL UPDATE BE FILED?


The Biennial Update has a filing deadline unique to each U.S. DOT number. To determine your filing period locate the last 2 digits of your U.S. DOT number. The last digit indicates the month when the filing must take place. The second-to-last digit indicates the year when the filing must be completed (an odd number mandates a filing in an odd year and an even number mandates a filing in an even year).

EXAMPLE:
U.S. DOT number '384983' ends in the digit '3' which corresponds to the third month of the year, March. The second-to-the-last digit is '8' which is an even number which correspond to an even year. As such, this motor carrier must file their update in March of even-numbered years. Note that the last digit corresponds to the months 1-9 (January - September) while 0 indicates the month of October. No filings are scheduled for November and December.

BIENNIAL UPDATE ONLINE APPLICATION

Other important DOT Compliance Filings


Hoffenmer, Inc is a company specializing in processing U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) forms for American truck transportation companies. Our services streamline the compliance process, saving time and resources for our clients.

IMPACTING THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

Our Mission

LOW SERVICE FEES

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE

Have you experienced poor quality services in the trucking business industry? How about overpriced service fees? Were you ever scammed into paying for something that was not due for your company?

It's time to experience exceptional quality services at unmatched low fees. Our low service fee guarantee will match anyone's service fees. Additionally we provide many services for free like the Random Drug and Alcohol Program and over the phone regulation support.
Scam-Free

KNOW WHAT'S DUE

SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU

The FMCSA and the DOT impose many regulations and mandates. But not every regulation applies to all transportation companies. And many agents prey on the lack of knowledge of transportation company owners scamming them into paying for services that are not required for them.

Our goal is to help you stay DOT compliant scam-free. We always quote the DOT regulation code that may pertain to your company and the source where you can read about it. You should not trust everyone and you don't have to trust us, but you should rather always seek the source of the regulation and the requirement. We will help you with this regardless of whether you complete a service with us or not.
Free-Support

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NO PROBLEM!

  • We will assess your compliance situation
  • We will let you know which regulations apply to your company
  • We will inform you about deadlines specific for your company
  • We will provide the regulation code and a link to the official DOT mandate so that you can read the details of the requirement(s) from the source


We will provide all of the above listed information pertinent to your company at no charge whether you are our client or not. We will have been content to have helped you even if you decide to take your business elsewhere. This is the Hoffenmer difference.

Contact

Mailing Center

2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW# 1022
Washington DC 20006


Processing Center

33 West Higgins Road 810
Barrington IL 60010