What Operating Authority Really Costs
Search for the cost of trucking authority and you will find figures from a few hundred dollars to several thousand. Both are right, because they measure different things. The federal fees are fixed by regulation and are the smaller number; everything else is insurance, state registration and the price of having someone file for you.
The federal fees, from 49 CFR 360.3T
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Operating authority (motor carrier, broker or freight forwarder), per authority type | $300 |
| USDOT number registration | $0 |
| Insurance certificate or surety filing service fee, per instrument | $10 |
| Name change | $14 |
| Petition to reinstate revoked authority | $80 |
| Transfer of operating rights | $300 |
| Ministerial correction of authority | $50 |
| Temporary authority in an emergency | $100 |
| Self-insurer qualification, bodily injury & property damage | $4,200 |
| Self-insurer qualification, cargo | $420 |
§360.3 is suspended; §360.3T is the schedule in force. The $300 is charged per authority type, so a company seeking property-carrier and broker authority together pays $600.
A one-truck carrier for 2027
- Operating authority (property): $300
- USDOT number: $0
- UCR 2027, bracket B1: $55
- Insurance filing service fee, one BMC-91: $10
Total federal fees: $365.
What is not a federal fee
- BOC-3 process agent — filed by a private company; its charge is theirs.
- Liability and cargo insurance — the largest cost by far, set by the insurer on the carrier's record, equipment and freight.
- State items — IRP apportioned plates, the IFTA licence and decals, intrastate authority where needed.
- Heavy Vehicle Use Tax — $100 to $550 a year for vehicles 55,000 lb and over, paid to the IRS on Form 2290.
- Filing-service labour — a package price bundles all of the above with the service's own fee.
Knowing the federal floor makes a package quote legible: subtract $365 and what remains is insurance, state items and service. The start-up calculator itemises the federal part for any combination of authority types and fleet size.
Questions
How much does FMCSA charge for an MC number?
$300 per authority type, under 49 CFR 360.3T. The USDOT number itself is free.
Is the BOC-3 an FMCSA fee?
No. The BOC-3 process-agent designation is filed by a private process-agent company, which sets its own charge.
What is the cheapest a one-truck carrier can start for, in federal fees?
$365 for 2027: $300 authority, $55 UCR, $10 insurance filing, $0 USDOT.