How to Cancel a USDOT Number or MC Authority (Deactivate, Suspend, or Revoke)
Reviewed by the ICR Filings compliance team · Updated October 20, 2026
If you are closing your trucking business, selling your truck, or going to drive for someone else, you should close out your FMCSA registration properly. Leaving it open can mean UCR bills, MCS-150 deadlines, and an insurance cancellation that turns into an involuntary revocation on your record.
Three different things people call "cancel"
| Action | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Deactivate the USDOT number | Marks the company as no longer operating | You are out of business, or no longer run vehicles that need a USDOT number |
| Voluntary suspension of authority | Puts your MC authority on hold | You are stopping for now and expect to come back |
| Voluntary revocation of authority | Ends your MC authority | You are done hauling for hire under your own authority |
A private carrier with no MC authority only needs the first. A for-hire carrier closing for good usually wants both: revoke the authority and deactivate the USDOT number.
Where it is done, and what it costs
Since May 2026, deactivations and requests for voluntary suspension or voluntary revocation are all made in Motus, FMCSA's registration system. You need to have claimed your USDOT number there first (see how to set up Motus). There is no government fee: FMCSA's fee schedule lists cancellation of registration at $0.
Do these things first
- Finish your last loads and stop operating under the number before you file.
- Cancel the authority before the insurance. If your insurer cancels its FMCSA filing while your authority is still active, FMCSA starts an involuntary suspension. Filing the voluntary revocation or suspension first keeps your record clean.
- Check UCR. You still owe UCR for any year you operated interstate. See what UCR is.
- Keep your records. Closing the number does not erase your obligation to keep the records the regulations require for their retention periods.
Driving for another carrier instead?
If you are leasing your truck onto another carrier, you run under that carrier's authority, so your own MC authority can be suspended or revoked. See leasing onto a carrier vs running your own authority before you decide which.
Can you undo it later?
A deactivated USDOT number can usually be reactivated by filing a current MCS-150 (see reactivating a USDOT number). Suspended authority can be reinstated; FMCSA's fee schedule lists $10 for a reinstatement request. Revoked authority may need a reinstatement request or a new application, depending on how long it has been.
Official sources
- FMCSA: Registration modernization FAQs
- 49 CFR 360.3: FMCSA registration fee schedule
- 49 CFR 387.313: insurance filings and the 30-day cancellation notice
- FMCSA: Form MCS-150 and instructions
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the official source before you file.
Related guides
- How to Change Your Company Name or Address With FMCSA in 2026
- Leasing Onto a Carrier vs Running Your Own Authority: What Owner-Operators Need
- FMCSA Insurance Filings Explained: BMC-91X, Minimums, and the 30-Day Cancellation Rule
Want us to handle it?
Deactivate a USDOT number or voluntarily revoke MC authority you no longer use. Flat service fee, government fees shown separately. Our turnaround: 1 business day after motus access.
See Cancel USDOT or MC Number