Expanding operations into the United States means fully complying with U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCSA) regulations. And one of the first credentials you’ll need when operating commercial vehicles into the United States is a USDOT number.

It’s best you know as much as you can about what this number is, how it’s used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), where it needs to be displayed, and how you maintain it.

The FMCSA’s online-only Unified Registration System (URS) is used to obtain a new USDOT number, and if necessary, a for-hire authority.

This number can’t be shared or loaned to another entity for any reason — even if you have a related company in Canada. Each separate entity requires its own USDOT number to operate commercial vehicles into the United States.

Display USDOT numbers on your vehicles

USDOT numbers must be displayed on commercial vehicles you’re operating in the United States. This tells enforcement personnel and the motoring public exactly who is responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle, and there is no exception for the marking requirement.

Any legal entity operating a commercial vehicle in interstate commerce, including Canada-based carriers, must ensure that the required information is displayed on the commercial vehicle. The display must include your legal company name (or single trade name) followed by the USDOT number listed on your MCS-150.

Even if the vehicle is also branded with a name or logo that is not your company’s exact name or logo, it must still be marked with your legal name or trade name as identified on the MCS-150, preceded by the words “operated by”.

Update it every other year

The related information on file with the FMCSA must be updated at least every other year. This update is completed using a paper MCS-150 form or the FMCSA’s preferred online form.

You can update your USDOT information more frequently than every two years, and in fact, it’s highly recommended that you do it more frequently. Keeping your data current helps when you are compared to other carriers of a similar size under the U.S. Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) program.

Maintaining your USDOT number is just one small part of the compliance puzzle, but it’s perhaps one of the most important. Keep the number current and use it properly to avoid penalties and deactivation.