When is my MCS-150 biennial update due?

Every carrier with a USDOT number must re-file Form MCS-150 every 24 months under 49 CFR 390.19T, even if nothing about your operation changed. Your USDOT number itself sets the deadline: the last two digits determine your filing month and which years you file. Filing is free. Missing it carries civil penalties (FMCSA's guidance lists up to $1,000 a day, capped at $10,000) and normally deactivates the USDOT number, though FMCSA has temporarily suspended enforcement of the update and automatic deactivations during its 2026 registration-system changeover (updated September 14, 2026).

How do I read my USDOT number?

Two digits do all the work.

Last digit: your filing month. Find it in the table below.

Next-to-last digit: your filing years. If that digit is odd, you file in odd-numbered years (2025, 2027…). If it's even, you file in even-numbered years (2026, 2028…). Your update is due by the last day of that month.

Worked example. USDOT number ends in 41. Last digit is 1, so the filing month is January. Next-to-last digit is 4, even, so even-numbered years. Deadline: January 31 of every even-numbered year (2026, 2028, and so on).

The full schedule is on FMCSA's registration update page.

What happens if I miss it?

FMCSA's guidance lists civil penalties of up to $1,000 per day, capped at $10,000. A missed update also normally triggers deactivation of your USDOT number. Right now both enforcement and that deactivation are suspended (next section).

Is enforcement really suspended right now?

Yes, for now. During the rollout of Motus, its new registration system launched May 19, 2026, FMCSA has temporarily suspended enforcement of biennial updates and USDOT-number inactivation for updates due on or after June 1, 2026. The posted alert (still up as of September 14, 2026, and broadened since our September 3 check, when it described a deactivation pause only) says registrants "will receive additional time to complete any required biennial updates and will not have their USDOT Number inactivated": Temporary Suspension of the Biennial Update Requirement.

The filing requirement itself is unchanged. No lift date has been announced. Updates that come due during the pause will still be owed when it lifts: FMCSA's wording is “additional time,” not forgiveness.

Where do I file?

Through FMCSA's registration system, linked from the update page. No fee.

This page is the standing answer. When the rule behind it changes, The Fleet Brief carries the change to subscribers that Monday, with the date and the official link.