The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has temporarily put its biennial registration-update enforcement on hold, giving affected carriers additional time as the agency transitions to its new MOTUS system.
As part of the temporary relief, FMCSA has also stopped deactivating USDOT numbers when registrants fail to complete a required biennial update. The suspension applies to filing deadlines that fell on or after June 1, 2026, and will remain in effect until further notice.
The move comes as the agency continues its transition to MOTUS, the new platform launched on May 19 to handle federal registration services. FMCSA said the temporary measures are intended to limit service disruptions during the migration. A September notice provided additional details about what carriers should expect.
Additional time for affected registrants
Companies covered by the temporary suspension do not have to immediately submit overdue biennial updates. Their USDOT numbers will remain active even if a filing deadline has passed.
FMCSA has not yet set a date for the return of enforcement. The agency said it will provide advance notice before it resumes deactivating USDOT numbers for missed updates.
“Registrants whose biennial update was due on or after June 1, 2026, will receive additional time,” the agency said in its notice.
The temporary measure does not remove the underlying registration requirement. Instead, it pauses federal enforcement while the MOTUS transition is underway. Companies should therefore continue monitoring official FMCSA registration notifications for further instructions.
Under normal federal rules, covered entities are required to update their registration information every two years, even when none of their company details have changed. The process is designed to keep important fleet, mileage, driver and business information current.
Those federal registration services are now being handled through MOTUS.
Intrastate carriers face a different process
FMCSA’s notice also addresses motor carriers operating exclusively within a single state.
For these intrastate carriers, MOTUS no longer provides a federal biennial filing option because they are not subject to the federal biennial update requirement.
That does not necessarily mean they have no recurring registration obligations. Individual states may require intrastate operators to periodically update their records, with requirements varying according to the jurisdiction in which a company operates.
MOTUS will nevertheless allow intrastate carriers to update information such as mileage, power units and driver totals. FMCSA also plans to show each carrier’s most recent submission date, giving state agencies information they can use when evaluating compliance.
A temporary safeguard against operational disruption
Missing a required biennial update would normally put a carrier’s USDOT number at risk of deactivation, potentially creating operational complications.
By temporarily suspending those actions, FMCSA is giving affected companies more time to navigate the transition to MOTUS while the agency completes its system migration.
For carriers, the message is straightforward: the enforcement pause provides breathing room, but it does not eliminate the requirement to keep registration information current.
