What the MCS-150 is
Form MCS-150, the Motor Carrier Identification Report, is the registration record behind a USDOT number: the carrier’s name, addresses, contacts, type of operation, cargo, power units and drivers. Interstate carriers file it before they begin operating and then every 24 months. Intrastate carriers that need a hazardous materials safety permit file the combined Form MCS-150B instead (49 CFR 390.19T).
When the biennial update is due
The last two digits of the USDOT number set the deadline:
- The last digit sets the month. A number ending in 1 files by the last day of January, 2 by the last day of February, and so on to 9 for September; a number ending in 0 files by the last day of October.
- The next-to-last digit sets the year. If it is odd, the carrier files in odd-numbered years; if it is even, in even-numbered years.
The schedule depends only on the last two digits.
| Last digit | File by the last day of |
|---|---|
| 1 | January |
| 2 | February |
| 3 | March |
| 4 | April |
| 5 | May |
| 6 | June |
| 7 | July |
| 8 | August |
| 9 | September |
| 0 | October |
A carrier that does not complete its biennial update is subject to civil penalties and to deactivation of its USDOT number. The forms and instructions are on FMCSA’s website, and the rule lists a help line, 1-800-832-5660 (49 CFR 390.19T).
How current are carrier filings?
The MCS-150 date is the best freshness signal in a carrier record, because the contact details are only as recent as the last filing. In the current snapshot, 21.7% of active carriers updated their MCS-150 within the last year and 46.8% last filed more than two years ago.
| Michigan | 68.4% |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 64.5% |
| Alaska | 63.6% |
| Colorado | 62.8% |
| New York | 62.5% |
An old filing date doesn’t prove a phone number or email is wrong, but it is a good reason to verify before you rely on it. Every pack includes mcs150_date and mcs150_age_days, so you can filter or prioritise carriers by filing age.
Sources
Figures marked as current come from the FMCSA Company Census snapshot of November 7, 2026, as published on this site. How the data is built