DOT/MC
DOT number and MC authority play a major role in the trucking industry. They contribute to the relationship with brokers and other business processes. Your loads also depend on the DOT/MC number. You won't be able to work without them. DOT number is intended for interstate transportation. MC number identifies carriers who transport federally regulated commodities. If you work with intermodal equipment you need an MC number. Intermodal providers always work with federally regulated cargo. All your company violations are going to be on the record. All brokers and insurance companies are going to check your score. That's why in case it's too high and you have a lot of violations, this fact can reduce the number of your loads and lead to a higher insurance rate.
DOT inspection ensures safety on the road to meet the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s) safety fitness standard. That’s why it’s so important for them to check your vehicle, carriers and documents. You should think about vehicle selection in advance. Your business might suffer, in case the DOT inspector doesn’t like something in your truck. Everything will be checked during the inspection. Your vehicle is your tool and your income. And if any violations are noticed in your score, you can check them using the DOT/MC number. With the condition that other drivers use the vehicles that are under your DOT number, they can also affect your score. Their violations will be on your record. If you have ever had a DOT number, the inspector will want to know the reason why you change it. Don`t try to lie to FMCSA or escape from past violations. It doesn’t mean you won’t get approved. There is just a different process. They also can ask you for your compliance documents. In this case you have 48 hours to provide them. Your standing depends on it.
Anyone can fill in the registration information about the company. This person must understand that the registration process takes some time. It’s usually the company owner. But you can choose any person you trust. The applicant has to write all the company information. He or she also must enter a phone number, email and address. You or the applicant will be contacted by this number to confirm the registration. We also want you to be ready for the fact that all information about you is going to become public. It means that everyone can use your DOT number to check your contact details, commodities or violations. That’s why we recommend you to create a new email address. As all the information becomes public, you are going to get an incredible amount of emails and phone calls in 1 hour after setting up the DOT number. Most of the time it’s spam and offers you will never need. Occasionally there are some emails from FMCSA or state department, but it also can be scammers who pretend to be the government. So, you just should be ready for it.
Register DOT/MC number on the FMCSA website. There is a link https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/. In order to write the correct legal business name you have to choose if you are a sole proprietor or an LLC (Limited Liability Company). In case you are a sole proprietor, your legal business name is what your license or what your ID shows. If you are an LLC your legal business name is the name of your company.
Before registration you should make sure that you have EIN (Employer Identification Number) or SSN (Social Security Number), Dun and BradStreet Number (if you have credit for your business), Company Officers with Titles (for owners). You also must file insurance with FMCSA before you start the registration. Don`t worry when you see “Designation of Process Agent Notice ” – it`s BOC-3. It helps process agents accept documents on your behalf in states where you don’t have a residence. It costs about 25-35$, you pay for it each time you change company name or address.
You get scored in the process of inspection. Yes, the inspector`s able to close your business down, even if you only enter the audit. They have the authority to do so. But you can’t get scored for shutting down. Points are scored for everything that they note during the inspection. The more inspections you don’t pass, the higher your score. 70% of your score is too much.
