Current figures: FMCSA registration file, October 23, 2026
Counts are pending operating authority records, one per authority type requested, from the U.S. DOT open datasets inys-ebih (operating authority status) and c5y8-a4uz (insurance filings). A record counts as "no liability filing" when no Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X is on file for the docket.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Pending operating authority records | 23,698 |
| Pending records with no liability insurance filing | 22,540 (95.1%) |
| Pending records with a liability filing on record | 1,158 |
| Brokers (1,301) and freight forwarders (432) in the no-filing group: they post a $75,000 bond or trust fund instead | 1,733 |
| Motor carriers waiting on a single document, the liability filing | 20,807 |
Pending records with no liability filing, by business state
| State | Records | State | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,765 | Indiana | 498 |
| California | 2,487 | Virginia | 464 |
| Florida | 2,047 | Maryland | 462 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,084 | Michigan | 453 |
| Georgia | 1,056 | Minnesota | 433 |
| New Jersey | 1,029 | Arizona | 432 |
| Illinois | 905 | Tennessee | 380 |
| Ohio | 892 | South Carolina | 371 |
| North Carolina | 718 | Missouri | 350 |
| New York | 680 | Washington | 335 |
Canada, by business address in the file: 374 records with no liability filing (Ontario 272, British Columbia 36, Alberta 29, Quebec 15). The field holds a business address, not a country of domicile, so these are what the file can show, not a census of Canadian applicants.
Earlier snapshots used in the publications below: August 23 (16,606 unfiled), September 10 (20,005), September 14 (21,783 pending, 20,375 unfiled, 93.5%), September 27 (22,868 pending, 21,332 unfiled, 93.3%), October 16 (22,342 unfiled), October 21 (23,691 pending, 22,515 unfiled). The pool is growing; the share without a filing has moved from 92.3% to 95.1% since late August.
How the clock actually runs
FMCSA's own estimate for a complete application is roughly 20 to 25 business days. That estimate assumes both filings are already on record. Under 49 CFR 365.109T the liability filing (Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X, transmitted only by a registered filer at the insurer) and the BOC-3 process agent designation (filed only by the agent) are due within 20 days of the notice in the FMCSA Register. Miss the 20 days and FMCSA serves a decision allowing 60 more days, which the agency's FAQ rounds to approximately 90 days from filing before dismissal; the $300 fee per authority type is not refunded. A 10-day protest window under 365.203T runs from the same publication date. Day zero is publication, not the day the fee was paid.
The two statements are consistent: an application with both filings in place clears in FMCSA's window, and 95% of the pending file is waiting on a document the applicant is not permitted to transmit. Day-by-day detail: MC authority activation timeline. Which coverage activates authority and which does not: what insurance activates MC authority.
Working paper
Columns and articles in outside publications
Russian-language press
Press features
The Authority File (Substack)
borovoy.substack.com: data notes and field guides for small carriers, their agents, lenders and shippers. Newest first.
Book
Method and reuse
- Source: U.S. DOT open data on data.transportation.gov, datasets inys-ebih (operating authority status, daily) and c5y8-a4uz (insurance filings), joined by docket and USDOT number. Counts are records by authority type, not companies.
- Rules cited: 49 CFR 365.109T (filings due within 20 days of publication), 365.203T (10-day protest), 360.3T ($300 fee per authority type), 387.9 (liability minimums), 387.7(b)(1) (35-day cancellation notice), 387.313T (30 days before a filing may be withdrawn).
- Figures on this page may be quoted with attribution to TruckerNavi Inc and a link to this page or to the working paper DOI. State-level and date-specific counts are available on request at quick@truckernavi.com.
- Related on this site: MC authority activation timeline, what insurance activates MC authority, how long the BMC-91X filing takes, BOC-3 filing explained, about TruckerNavi.