Are MC numbers going away?

What FMCSA actually said

The notice announced Motus and said it would arrive in phases. The first phase went live on December 8, 2025, for supporting companies such as BOC-3 blanket filers, insurance and surety filers and service providers. Phase II, planned for the second quarter of 2026, was to open Motus to every regulated company and retire the old Unified Registration System, the registration parts of MCMIS and the former ICC Licensing and Insurance system.

FMCSA wrote that stakeholders had raised concerns in three areas: safety registration, the elimination of the MC and FF docket numbers, and changes to the BOC-3 process. In response, it said Phase II would include none of the three.

The USDOT number is the identifier that stays

Under Motus, FMCSA continues to identify every regulated company by its USDOT number, the unique identifier it issues during registration. New suffixes at the end of the USDOT number show each type of registration a company holds, but the notice said they were visible only inside the system for now and would not change formal FMCSA letters, notices or orders. The same notice said suffixes are not required for marking trucks, though they are required by statute on documents for business transactions involving brokers, freight forwarders and for-hire carriers.

Trucks still carry the USDOT number. Every self-propelled commercial vehicle must show the operating carrier’s name and the number FMCSA issued to it, preceded by “USDOT”.

What changed on the old systems

The FMCSA Licensing and Insurance site posted a notice that all registration functions in the old systems, including new applications, changes and filings, would be permanently retired on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 8 PM Eastern time, with Motus launching the following week. The same site still offers its carrier search, which covers interstate for-hire carriers that hold authority or have applications pending.

Claims that MC numbers were already abolished on a fixed date keep circulating online. They do not match the Federal Register: the April 2026 notice is the latest statement there on the subject, and the proposed and final rules FMCSA has published since cover other topics, such as Unified Carrier Registration fees and English language proficiency.

Why FMCSA is changing registration at all

The notice ties Motus to fraud. FMCSA reported a significant increase in presumed fraud using false information about registered companies, leading to cargo and monetary theft. Its examples include identity theft, hijacked FMCSA accounts, the selling of motor carrier numbers and PINs, and fake initial registrations, some possibly by foreign actors. Motus is meant to add individual identity and business verification to registration.

For a broker, the lesson from that list is that a number on paper is not proof. A real MC number can be bought, borrowed or copied, which is why the record check has to be paired with a call to the carrier on a number you found yourself. How to spot a fake carrier walks through it.

What to do now

1. Keep collecting both numbers. Ask every carrier for its MC number and its USDOT number, and check that the record you look up links the two.
2. Check the record each time. Look up the authority status, USDOT status and out-of-service date before tendering; nothing about Motus changes those fields today.
3. Match the truck. At pickup, compare the USDOT number and name on the door with the record and the rate confirmation.
4. Keep your files complete. Brokers must record the carrier’s name, address and registration number for each transaction and keep the record for three years.
5. Watch the Federal Register. FMCSA said it would take a measured approach to the later changes while it keeps engaging stakeholders.

What to watch out for

• A carrier that says it “no longer has an MC number” because of Motus. That is not what the April 2026 notice says, so ask for the number and check it.
• Emails or calls asking you to “update your Motus account” through a link. FMCSA lists hijacked accounts among the frauds Motus is meant to stop, so open FMCSA systems only from addresses you type yourself.
• An MC number and a USDOT number that belong to two different companies on the public record.