Two months after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration flipped the switch on Motus, its overhauled USDOT registration system, carriers are still fighting through the same access lockouts, glitches, and delays that plagued the May 19 launch.
FMCSA has now issued fresh guidance aimed at one specific snag: carriers who can’t claim their USDOT Record because Motus mistakenly registered them as a Transportation Service Provider (TSP) instead of a motor carrier.
How to fix a mis-registered TSP account
For carriers stuck behind an incorrect TSP registration, FMCSA says the fix is to close that account and start over:
- Log in to the Motus account at motus.dot.gov
- Navigate to the TSP account page
- Click the gear icon on the right side of the screen
- Select “Close Account”
- Confirm the permanent closure when prompted
Once the TSP account is closed, carriers whose Login.gov email is linked to a USDOT number should see a dialog box offering the option to claim that number. If that prompt doesn’t appear, FMCSA says to file a ticket at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov, including the USDOT number, the name and Login.gov email of the company official who will own the account, and proof of ownership — an IRS letter, articles of incorporation, or other state or municipal registration document.
A rollout that hasn’t gone smoothly
Motus replaced FMCSA’s legacy registration systems as a single entry point for USDOT numbers, operating authority, insurance filings, and biennial updates. The transition has been rocky from the start. Carriers have reported being unable to claim their USDOT numbers, logins that won’t process MCS-150 updates, insurance and authority statuses displaying incorrectly, and long hold times with FMCSA’s contact center.
Real-world cases underscore how disruptive the glitches have been. Michigan-based owner Tim Ryan said he spent three months trying to update his fleet’s MCS-150 with no success. Wisconsin carrier Dave Rick said Motus generated an entirely new DOT number for his company when he tried to claim the 24-year-old number he already had, triggering confused calls from insurers and service providers. And owner-operator Martin Vaughn described a reactivation payment that appeared to process — the amount due dropped to $0 with no confirmation — but the payment itself never went through; his authority wasn’t restored until nearly a month later, after multiple escalations.
FMCSA has acknowledged the strain in two notes to the industry that struck noticeably different tones. A standard agency memo said FMCSA was “aware of issues affecting registrants” and had prioritized fixes for insurance filings and operating authority status. A separate note from Administrator Derek Barrs framed Motus as a “major agency milestone” and described the industry’s complaints as “minor technical issues,” even while citing figures like 120,000 new user applications and 13,000 USDOT number claims in the launch’s first week.
FMCSA pauses biennial update enforcement
As the problems dragged on, FMCSA moved to shield carriers from a specific consequence: losing their USDOT number over a missed biennial update. The agency temporarily suspended inactivations for any entity that hasn’t completed its required biennial update since June 1.
“Registrants will receive additional time to complete any required biennial updates and should not worry about inactivation resulting from Motus-related access or system issues,” FMCSA said. The agency called the pause temporary but has not said when it will end, only that it will “share additional guidance as recovery and stabilization efforts continue.”
Where carriers can get help
FMCSA has expanded support options while it works through the backlog:
- Report an issue: Submit a ticket at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov/app/ticket rather than filing duplicates on the same case.
- Phone/chat support: 1-800-832-5660, with extended hours now running 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern on weekdays plus Saturdays.
- Status updates: Sign up for FMCSA Registration Alerts to get notified as fixes roll out.
- Self-service: The Registration Video Library and “Move to Motus” job aids walk through common tasks.
- Verify a registration: The public Motus search tool lets anyone check a registration record by USDOT number, legal name, or DBA.
Industry consultants advising carriers through the transition have offered a simpler recommendation in the meantime: if there’s no urgent need — an expiring insurance filing or a required update — stay off the system until it stabilizes. Attempting non-essential tasks in Motus right now, they say, is more likely to end in a support call than a resolution.
