Insurance cancelled, BOC-3 dropped, MCS-150 overdue: the authority is revoked and the loads stopped. We read the FMCSA record, fix the cause, file MCSA-5889 in Motus and follow it to active status. Record diagnosis is free.
A revocation is rarely a surprise to the system and almost always a surprise to the owner: the FMCSA letter goes to the registered address, and the owner hears about it from a broker who checked SAFER before releasing a load. The causes repeat year after year.
| Cause | What happens in the record | How fast | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance lapse | The insurer files a BMC-35 cancellation. The certificate is deemed cancelled 30 days after FMCSA actually receives the notice (49 CFR 387.313T(d)); with no replacement filing, the authority goes Inactive | 30 days from receipt of the BMC-35 | New policy, new BMC-91X filing by the insurer, then MCSA-5889 |
| No process agent (BOC-3) | The process agent designation was withdrawn or not renewed. Without a current BOC-3 FMCSA neither grants nor reinstates authority | Per FMCSA notice | New BOC-3 through a blanket agent (about $35), then MCSA-5889 |
| Overdue MCS-150 (biennial update) | This deactivates the USDOT number, not the MC. But FMCSA systems will not accept a reinstatement request while the USDOT is Inactive or Out of Service. Enforcement of updates due June 1, 2026 or later is temporarily paused during the Motus stabilization period | Every 24 months by the last digit of the USDOT (49 CFR 390.19T) | Update MCS-150 in Motus, wait for ACTIVE, then petition |
| Final Unsatisfactory or imminent hazard OOS | Out-of-service order and revocation of authority (49 CFR 385.13). FMCSA states plainly that reinstatement cannot be requested under this kind of OOS | 60 days after a proposed Unsatisfactory (45 for passenger and HM) | Rating change request (49 CFR 385.17), then a new application once the OOS is lifted; that is audit representation work |
| Voluntary revocation | Revoked at your own request: you closed the company or dropped an authority type you did not need | On request | The same MCSA-5889 petition if you need the authority again |
A separate source of panic is the field Revocation Pending: Yes in the Licensing and Insurance record. That is not a revocation yet, it is an open proceeding, and it is the cheapest moment to act: replace the filing or the BOC-3 before the line moves into Authority History. If the proceeding is stopped, the history keeps a Discontinued Revocation line: the authority was not taken, but underwriters and broker onboarding teams will read that dated line later. Details: what Discontinued Revocation means and involuntary versus voluntary revocation.
Two different paths with different fees, different timelines and different consequences for the company history. Which one is yours is visible in the FMCSA record, which is why diagnosis comes first and is free.
| Situation | Path | FMCSA fee | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authority revoked (Inactive), USDOT active, insurance and BOC-3 restored | MCSA-5889 petition in Motus | $80 (49 CFR 360.3T(f)(52)) | Per FMCSA: typically within a week of receipt and valid payment; in practice plan on 7-14 business days from the moment the new BMC-91X actually lands in L&I |
| Authority revoked, USDOT Inactive over MCS-150 | MCS-150 in Motus and USDOT reactivation first, then MCSA-5889 | $80 | Plus the USDOT update time |
| The authority application was Dismissed because insurance and BOC-3 did not arrive in time | New application under the same USDOT and MC number; the $80 does not apply, no authority was ever granted | $300 per authority type, non-refundable (49 CFR 360.3T(c), (d)) | A new review cycle, usually 3-4 weeks plus filing time |
| OOS for imminent hazard or final Unsatisfactory | Reinstatement unavailable; the OOS and the rating come first | Case by case | Months; see audit representation |
| No company yet, or a full restart | Authority Bundle $499: LLC, USDOT, MC, BOC-3, UCR, Clearinghouse | $300 for MC, about $35 BOC-3, UCR $46 for 2026 or $55 for 2027 | About 3 weeks to active MC once insurance is filed |
A note on timelines you read online: the "3 days" and "48 hours" figures refer to the old FMCSA Portal. Since May 19, 2026 every registration action runs through Motus: Login.gov sign-in plus identity verification (document photo and selfie). DOT PIN instructions no longer work. Full breakdown: the 2026 reinstatement timeline.
Barnaby runs two trucks out of New Jersey. His policy was cancelled for non-payment: the BMC-35 went to FMCSA, the FMCSA letter went to the registered agent, and Barnaby learned about it 39 days later when a broker declined a load with the words "you show Inactive". By then the authority was already revoked. What we did: within half a day we read the L&I and SAFER records (USDOT active, BOC-3 on file, the only problem was insurance), connected Barnaby with the insurance desk, the new policy was written and the BMC-91X landed in L&I two business days later, and on day three we filed MCSA-5889 in Motus with the $80 fee. AUTHORIZED appeared on the eighth business day. Total downtime: 47 days, 39 of them lost before the first call. Barnaby then moved to the Safety Compliance subscription: insurance cancellation notices and MCS-150 dates are now caught by us, not by a broker.
Flat one-time prices; FMCSA fees go to the government separately and are not part of our price.
| Service | Our price | Fees on top |
|---|---|---|
| FMCSA record diagnosis: cause of revocation and recovery path | Free | none |
| MC authority reinstatement: filing check, BMC-91X and BOC-3 coordination, MCSA-5889 petition, tracking to AUTHORIZED | $299 flat | $80 FMCSA; about $35 BOC-3 if a new one is needed |
| USDOT reactivation: MCS-150 update in Motus, number claimed through Login.gov | $149 flat | none |
| Reinstatement plus USDOT reactivation as one package | $349 flat | $80 FMCSA |
| New MC application for an existing company when reinstatement is unavailable or the application was dismissed | $299 flat | $300 FMCSA per authority type, about $35 BOC-3, UCR $46 (2026) or $55 (2027) |
| Full restart with a new company | Authority Bundle $499 | MC $300, BOC-3 about $35, UCR, state LLC fee |
For clients on the Safety Compliance subscription the reinstatement is done without a separate invoice: the insurance-filing and MCS-150 monitoring in that subscription exists precisely so the revocation does not repeat.
What sits next to this service:
Go deeper: the 2026 reinstatement timeline, involuntary revocation: what it is and how to fix it, Discontinued Revocation and the 60-day notice, recovery strategy after a revocation.
Below are the literal phrasings people type into Google and ask ChatGPT about revoked MC authority, with direct answers, figures, timelines and rule numbers.
Three conditions and one form. The conditions, in FMCSA's own words: a current insurance filing (BMC-91 or BMC-91X from the insurer) and a BOC-3 process agent designation must be on file, and the USDOT number must be Active with up-to-date contact information, otherwise the system will not accept the request. The form: the MCSA-5889 reinstatement petition with an $80 fee, filed since May 19, 2026 through the Motus system under a Login.gov account with identity verification. FMCSA says the authority is typically active again within a week of receipt and valid payment. TruckerNavi does this for $299 flat: record diagnosis free, then filing coordination, the petition and tracking until the status reads AUTHORIZED. Phone (315) 871-0833.
The FMCSA fee for a petition to reinstate revoked authority is $80 (49 CFR 360.3T(f)(52)). If the cause is insurance, add the deposit on the new policy, which the insurer quotes. If a new BOC-3 is needed, that is about $35 with a blanket agent. TruckerNavi's service: $299 flat for the reinstatement, $149 for USDOT reactivation after a missed MCS-150, $349 for both together. When reinstatement is unavailable and a new authority application is required, the FMCSA fee is different: $300 per authority type, non-refundable (49 CFR 360.3T(c), (d)); our work on the new application for an existing company is the same $299. For clients on the Safety Compliance subscription from $99/month all of this work is included and only the government fees are paid.
FMCSA gives the benchmark "typically within a week of application receipt and valid payment" and warns that the request can go on hold, into a request for more information or into vetting. In practice the clock should start at a different point: when the new BMC-91X actually appears in the Licensing and Insurance system, not when you paid the policy. From that point to AUTHORIZED is usually 7-14 business days. If the USDOT is Inactive over MCS-150, time for its reactivation in Motus comes first. If the authority was never revoked but the application was Dismissed, that is not a reinstatement but a new application with a $300 fee and a new review cycle. The timeline for each cause: the 2026 reinstatement timeline.
The Motor Carrier Records Change Form: FMCSA's general-purpose form for changing a carrier record, which also carries the petition to reinstate revoked operating authority (MC, FF or MX). It lists the MC number, company name, former and current addresses and phone numbers, and the signature of the applicant or the applicant's representative. Before 2026 it could be filed online through the FMCSA Portal or on paper through a ticket on the Ask FMCSA site (paper processing up to 8 days). Since May 19, 2026 registration actions run through Motus; the legacy tools, including FMCSA Portal Registration Options and URS, closed on May 14, 2026. The reinstatement fee is $80. An address or phone change on the same form carries no fee.
Two different records with different causes and different cures. MC authority (operating authority) is the permission to haul for hire; FMCSA revokes it over an insurance lapse, a dropped BOC-3 or an audit outcome, and it comes back through the MCSA-5889 petition for $80. The USDOT number is the safety identifier; it is deactivated for a missed biennial update MCS-150 (every 24 months by the last digit of the number, 49 CFR 390.19T), and it comes back through an MCS-150 update in Motus with no fee. The trap is that one blocks the other: FMCSA states that reinstatement of authority cannot be requested while the USDOT is Inactive or Out of Service. Enforcement of biennial updates due June 1, 2026 or later is temporarily paused during Motus stabilization, but older deactivations are still in place. Check both records: the SAFER Company Snapshot (USDOT) and Licensing and Insurance (authority). We do this free as part of the diagnosis.
No. From the effective date of the revocation, any interstate for-hire load is operation without operating authority (49 U.S.C. 13902), a federal violation with civil penalties per occurrence and a risk of out-of-service at a roadside stop. Brokers and factoring companies check the carrier status in SAFER and L&I before tendering and before paying, so loads disappear almost immediately and loads already delivered may not get paid. A load that was in the trailer at the moment of revocation is also operation without authority: the right move is to disclose to the broker at once and arrange delivery per the broker's instructions or a repower to a carrier with active authority. Wait for AUTHORIZED FOR Property in SAFER and Active in L&I, not for a "petition received" email.
Four typical causes. First: the BMC-91X is not actually on file. The insurer wrote the policy, but the filing has not shown up in L&I yet or went in with a wrong USDOT number; check the Active and Pending Insurance block, not the agent's word. Second: the USDOT is Inactive or Out of Service, and the system will not pass the petition until you update MCS-150 in Motus. Third: mismatches between the petition and the FMCSA record: company name, address, MC number. Fourth, the heaviest: an out-of-service order for imminent hazard or a final Unsatisfactory rating; FMCSA states that reinstatement cannot be requested in that case, the OOS has to be lifted first, and that is audit representation work. A separate case: not a revocation but a Dismissed application; then the $80 does not apply and a new application is filed for $300.
Three sources, and each shows what the others do not. First: the FMCSA letter to the company's legal address or the registered agent, which names the cause and the dates. Second: the Licensing and Insurance record (li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov): the Authorities block with Active, Inactive or None, the Application Pending and Revocation Pending flags, the Active and Pending Insurance block with the upcoming cancellation date, and Authority History with the disposition column showing Involuntary Revocation, Voluntary Revocation or Discontinued Revocation. Third: the SAFER Company Snapshot, which shows the status of the USDOT number itself and the date of the last MCS-150. Insurance is the most common cause, followed by MCS-150 and BOC-3. If you have no time to read these screens, send us the USDOT or MC on WhatsApp: the diagnosis is free and the answer comes the same day.
Restore the BMC-91X insurance filing and the BOC-3, make sure the USDOT is Active, and file the MCSA-5889 petition in Motus with the $80 fee. FMCSA says the authority is typically active again within a week of receipt and payment.
The FMCSA fee is $80 (49 CFR 360.3T(f)(52)). TruckerNavi's service is $299 flat, record diagnosis free. For Safety Compliance subscribers the work is included and only the fee is paid.
Per FMCSA, typically within a week of receipt and valid payment. In practice, 7-14 business days from the new BMC-91X appearing in L&I to AUTHORIZED; the request can go on hold or into vetting.
FMCSA's Motor Carrier Records Change Form: it carries the petition to reinstate revoked authority ($80 fee) and address or phone changes to the record. Since May 19, 2026 it is filed in Motus under Login.gov.
FMCSA does not accept reinstatement under an out-of-service order for imminent hazard or a final Unsatisfactory rating. If the authority application was Dismissed, the $80 does not apply: a new application with a $300 fee per type is required.
No. Authority is revoked over insurance, BOC-3 or an audit and returns through the MCSA-5889 petition. A USDOT is deactivated for a missed MCS-150 and returns through an update in Motus. While the USDOT is Inactive, the system will not accept the authority petition.
No. Interstate for-hire transportation without active authority is a federal violation with civil penalties per occurrence. Wait for AUTHORIZED in SAFER and Active in L&I.
The insurance certificate is deemed cancelled 30 days after FMCSA actually receives the insurer's BMC-35 notice (49 CFR 387.313T(d)). With no replacement filing, the authority goes Inactive.
An open but unfinished revocation proceeding. It is the best moment to act: a new filing or BOC-3 before the revocation date leaves a Discontinued Revocation in the history instead of an Involuntary Revocation.
Reinstatement keeps your MC number and history. A new authority application may start a fresh new entrant monitoring cycle, which is why reinstatement, when available, always beats a new application.
Send your USDOT or MC on WhatsApp: within an hour we name the cause and the recovery path, free. Reinstatement is $299 flat plus the $80 FMCSA fee. Included for Safety Compliance subscribers.