MCS-150 Biennial Update Worksheet (Free Printable)
Every motor carrier with a USDOT number must update its MCS-150 (Motor Carrier Identification Report) at least once every two years — even if nothing changed, and even if the company is no longer in business. Miss it and FMCSA can deactivate the USDOT number and assess civil penalties. The filing itself takes about ten minutes online; the time sink is hunting for figures mid-form. This worksheet lets you gather everything first, then file in one sitting. Free printable Word version below — just tell us where to send it.
⬇ Download the MCS-150 worksheet (Word)
Step 1 — Find your filing month (it is coded into your USDOT number)
- Under 49 CFR 390.19, the biennial update is due by the end of the month indicated by the last digit of your USDOT number: 1 = January, 2 = February, 3 = March, 4 = April, 5 = May, 6 = June, 7 = July, 8 = August, 9 = September, 0 = October.
- The second-to-last digit tells you the year: odd digit = odd-numbered years, even digit (including 0) = even-numbered years.
- Example: USDOT 123456 → last digit 6 = June; second-to-last 5 = odd years → due by June 30 of every odd year.
- Write your month and year here and put it on the calendar now: ____________________
- New carriers: the first biennial update falls on the schedule above, not two years from registration — so it can come sooner than you expect.
Step 2 — Log-in details to have ready
- Your USDOT number and the associated USDOT PIN (request a replacement through the FMCSA Registration system if lost — it is mailed, so allow time).
- A Login.gov account tied to the FMCSA Portal — FMCSA moved its registration systems behind Login.gov; set this up before the deadline week.
- Your EIN (or SSN for sole proprietors) exactly as on file.
- If filing on paper instead: a current MCS-150 form, signed, with the "Biennial Update" reason box checked.
Step 3 — Company identity (fill in before you start)
These must match your other registrations (IRS, state, insurance) — mismatches are the most common cause of registration holds.
| Legal business name | |
| DBA / trade name (if any) | |
| Principal place of business (street, city, state, ZIP) | |
| Mailing address (if different) | |
| Business phone / cell | |
| Email address for FMCSA notices | |
| EIN / SSN | |
| Company officer name and title (the person certifying) | |
| Form of business (sole proprietor, LLC, corporation, partnership) |
Step 4 — Operation and cargo classification
Tick every box that actually applies. Under-reporting cargo types (especially hazmat or passengers) is an audit finding.
| Company operation: interstate or intrastate; for-hire, private property, private passenger, exempt for-hire, migrant, U.S. mail, federal/state/local government, Indian tribe | |
| Operation classification: authorized for-hire / exempt for-hire / private (property) / private passenger (business or non-business) / other | |
| Cargo classifications carried (general freight, household goods, metal, motor vehicles, drive-away, logs, building materials, machinery, fresh produce, liquids/gases, intermodal, passengers, oilfield, livestock, grain, coal, meat, garbage, US mail, chemicals, commodities dry bulk, refrigerated, beverages, paper, utilities, farm supplies, construction, water well, other) | |
| Hazardous materials carried? (if yes, list class/division and whether bulk / non-bulk) |
Step 5 — Equipment counts (owned / term-leased / trip-leased)
Count vehicles you operate today, split by how you hold them. Trailers count too.
| Straight trucks — owned / term leased / trip leased | |
| Truck tractors — owned / term leased / trip leased | |
| Trailers — owned / term leased / trip leased | |
| Hazmat cargo tank trucks / trailers (if any) | |
| Motor coaches / school buses / mini-buses / vans / limousines (passenger carriers) | |
| Number of vehicles carrying hazmat | |
| Number of CMVs operated in Canada / Mexico (if any) |
Step 6 — Drivers and mileage
| Total drivers (including owner-operators) | |
| Interstate drivers — within 100-mile radius / beyond 100-mile radius | |
| Intrastate drivers — within / beyond 100-mile radius | |
| Drivers holding a CDL | |
| Total vehicle miles travelled in the most recent calendar year (all CMVs) | |
| Mileage year reported |
⚠️ Three mistakes that turn a 10-minute filing into a deactivation: (1) waiting for a reminder — FMCSA is not obliged to send one; (2) assuming "nothing changed, so I don't need to file" — the update is required regardless; (3) using an old address or officer name so the PIN letter or notices go astray. If your number is already showing inactive, see the USDOT reactivation checklist.
Step 7 — File and prove it
- File online through the FMCSA Registration system (the Unified Registration System / FMCSA Portal), choosing the biennial-update option, or mail/fax the signed paper MCS-150.
- Review the confirmation screen and save or print the confirmation — keep it in your compliance binder.
- A few days later, check your record on FMCSA's SAFER Company Snapshot: confirm the MCS-150 date updated and the status shows active.
- Update the MCS-150 again promptly whenever core details change (name, address, operation type, going out of business) — do not wait for the next biennial date.
- Set the next due date now: two years out, same month. Add 60/30/7-day reminders.
Free: Want your real deadlines, not a generic list? Run the free USDOT compliance check — your MCS-150, UCR and IFTA dates straight from the FMCSA registry. Then track them: your first compliance item is free →
Never let a deadline take a truck off the road
Enter your dates once — FleetClear computes every DOT/FMCSA deadline, alerts you at 60/30/7 days, and drafts the renewal notice. Your first compliance item is free.
Start free — no card requiredGeneral guidance for motor carriers, not legal advice. FMCSA rules, fees and state procedures change — verify current requirements with FMCSA (fmcsa.dot.gov) and your state agencies before relying on any item here. FleetClear is not affiliated with the FMCSA or any government agency.