FMCSA Unveils Motus to Modernize Carrier Registration

FMCSA built Motus with enhanced fraud protections in response to a rise in registration scams. (Juan Sorto/Transport Topics)

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is launching a new online registration dashboard for freight industry companies that has fraud protections and cellphone accessibility.

The system is called Motus, derived from a Latin word for movement or motion. It replaces a 30-year-old patchwork of three systems used by motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, insurance companies and others.

To avoid disruptions, companies already registered with FMCSA had been advised to verify information within existing agency portals before a data migration occurred May 14.

Companies will use Motus to apply for, update and manage their operating authority. Other purposes of the new unified registration system include the ability to:

• Update company information
• Access data on crash and inspection history
• Interact with other FMCSA systems, such as the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse 

Julie Otto, with the FMCSA Office of Registration, told Transport Topics, “We made sure they can do everything they do today, but they can do it from their smartphone or tablet because we know they’re busy on the go.”

To claim an existing USDOT number in Motus when the system launches for registrants, the company official must use the same “login.gov” email address to log in to the FMCSA Portal and Motus.

FMCSA has posted videos on its website with information about the system. It also has a contact center with 450 agents available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time as well as chat and email assistance.

2 Days Until Transition
May 14: registration updates in URS, FMCSA Portal & L&I end.
Update FMCSA Portal info now. https://t.co/im4jEdhPiM pic.twitter.com/wd4LwJW9Ys — FMCSA (@FMCSA) May 12, 2026

Fraud Protection

The Motus system was designed with a variety of fraud deterrence measures. FMCSA revealed April 29 in a Federal Register notice that the agency has seen a significant upswing in “presumed fraudulent activity where erroneous information about a registered entity is being used, resulting in cargo and monetary theft in the motor carrier industry.”

Types of registration fraud include:

• Identity theft
• Fraudulent or fake initial registrations
• Hijacking FMCSA motor carrier accounts
• Selling motor carrier numbers and personal identification numbers

“Some of the recent reported fraudulent activities may be perpetrated by foreign actors. In response, FMCSA has significantly increased efforts while developing Motus to further secure its systems to reduce opportunities for fraud,” the agency stated.

Safeguards will require new registry applicants to pass identity proofing and verification to strengthen FMCSA’s “digital resilience, promote user confidence and ensure that only verified entities can register with FMCSA and access their registration information.”

Motus also has business verification security features, real-time data validation and smart logic.

Stronger ID Protocols

According to FMCSA, Motus introduces stronger identity verification protocols, enhanced data validation and more secure account management features to prevent unauthorized changes to registration records. The goal is to better protect legitimate carriers and brokers from scams, identity theft and unlawful manipulation of operating authority.

Otto said FMCSA recently sent 2.2 million letters to registered users, of which 18% (396,000) were undeliverable, which could be due to fraud, businesses that no longer exist or other unknown reasons.

She said Motus has built-in fraud checks to prevent someone from trying to claim another company’s registered legal name.

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Motus was built to flag a questionable registration application and “set it off to the side” for an FMCSA investigator to review and analyze for potential fraud.

For instance, the system can flag a registration application if it has a similar or same address, company official name, phone number or other identifying information that could lead to a chameleon carrier, Otto said.