Every motor carrier operating in interstate commerce must have an active USDOT number. This is your federal identifier — FMCSA tracks your safety record, inspections, and crashes under this number.

For-hire carriers need an MC number in addition to the USDOT. Apply via FMCSA's Unified Registration System. Filing fee: $300. Processing time: 4–8 weeks. Your authority is not active until insurance is filed.

You must designate a process agent in every state where you operate. A BOC-3 filing service handles this for a one-time fee (typically $30–50). Without it, your authority cannot be activated.

Update your carrier information every 2 years, based on the last digit of your USDOT number. File through the FMCSA portal. Missing this can result in deactivation of your USDOT number.

Annual Unified Carrier Registration. Required for interstate for-hire carriers. Due by the start of each calendar year. Fee is based on fleet size — $176 for 0-2 vehicles.

One file per driver (including the owner-operator). Must contain: employment application, motor vehicle record (MVR) pulled annually, medical examiner's certificate, road test certificate or equivalent, and a signed acknowledgment of the company's drug & alcohol policy.

Valid CDL with correct endorsements. DOT medical card (Form MCSA-5876) current — not expired. Since June 2025, medical examiners submit results electronically to the National Registry. Verify your status shows “certified” on the FMCSA portal.

Motor Vehicle Record must be pulled for every driver at least once per year. Review for disqualifying violations. Keep the MVR in the DQ file. If a driver has violations in multiple states, pull records from each state.

Before hiring any driver, check their driving record and employment history for the past 3 years. FMCSA's PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program) shows crash and inspection history. Not legally required but strongly recommended and almost universal in the industry.

Required for every CDL holder operating a commercial motor vehicle. You must be enrolled in a testing consortium (even as a single owner-operator). Tests required: pre-employment, random (minimum 50% of drivers for drugs, 10% for alcohol annually), post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up.

Query the Clearinghouse before hiring any driver. Run a limited annual query on every driver on January 1 each year. If a driver has a violation, they cannot operate until they complete the return-to-duty process. Fine for not querying: up to $16,864 per driver.

Anyone who supervises CDL drivers must complete 60 minutes of drug awareness training and 60 minutes of alcohol awareness training. This includes owner-operators who are the “employer” under FMCSA rules. Keep the training certificates.

Electronic logging device required for all drivers who must keep records of duty status (RODS). Must be an FMCSA-registered device. Check the registered device list — if your ELD was removed, you must replace it immediately. Exemptions: pre-2000 engines, short-haul drivers, driveaway-towaway operations.

Property-carrying drivers: 11 hours driving within a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off. 30-minute break required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. 60/70-hour limit over 7/8 days. 34-hour restart available.

Retain for 6 months: fuel receipts, bills of lading, toll receipts, delivery receipts — anything that corroborates your ELD logs. These are the first things an auditor cross-references against your drive times.

Every commercial motor vehicle must pass a comprehensive inspection by a qualified inspector once per year. Keep the inspection report in the vehicle and the original in your files. The inspection sticker must be visible.

Drivers must complete a DVIR at the end of each day the vehicle is operated. Report must cover: brakes, steering, lights, tires, horn, windshield wipers, coupling devices, mirrors, and emergency equipment. If defects are found, they must be repaired and certified before the vehicle is driven.

You must have a documented maintenance program — not just “I change the oil when it's due.” Keep records of all inspections, repairs, and maintenance for each vehicle for 1 year plus 6 months after the vehicle leaves your fleet.

Minimum $750,000 for general freight. $1,000,000 for oil and hazmat. $5,000,000 for large passenger carriers. Your insurance company files the BMC-91X directly with FMCSA — verify it shows on your SAFER record. If it doesn't appear, your authority is not active regardless of what your agent says.

Not federally required for all carriers, but most brokers require $100,000 minimum cargo coverage before they'll give you a load. Functionally mandatory for for-hire carriers.

Required for vehicles over 26,001 lbs or with 3+ axles operating in more than one jurisdiction. File quarterly returns. Due dates: April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31. Late filing = penalties + interest.

Heavy Vehicle Use Tax. Annual tax for vehicles 55,000+ lbs. File with IRS by August 31 for each tax period (July 1 – June 30). You need the stamped Schedule 1 for vehicle registration.

Apportioned vehicle registration for carriers operating in multiple states. Registered through your base state. Renewal dates vary by state. Failure to maintain IRP = operating without valid registration.