How to Get Your DOT Operating Authority (Without Losing Your Mind or Your Mattress Straps)
 A brutally honest, mover-approved guide – for Household Goods (HHG) Carriers and Brokers.

So you’re ready to stop living in the unlicensed shadows of Craigslist and TikTok moving ads? Smart move. To operate legally across state lines, you need Operating Authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – that means an MC number and a USDOT number. 

🛑 IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: Interstate vs. Intrastate

This entire guide is for Interstate moves – meaning you cross a state line (e.g., New York to New Jersey). If you only move people Intrastate (within a single state, like Dallas to Houston), you typically need authority from your state government, not the FMCSA. Don’t get an MC number if you don’t need it – it’s just another thing to maintain.

Whether you’re hauling sofas as an HHG carrier or selling moves as a broker, here’s the real-world guide the FMCSA forgot to write.

Step-by-Step: HHG Edition (A.K.A. “Hurry Before FMCSA Notices You’re Moving Without Paperwork”)

Step 1: Get a USDOT Number
 No USDOT number = no authority. Register through the Unified Registration System (URS).
 Warning: government website. Pack snacks.

Step 2: Choose Your Operating Authority Type
 HHG world has two main flavors:

  • HHG Carrier Authority – You own trucks and touch furniture for a living.
  • Household Goods Broker Authority – You sell moves, move no couches, and dodge liability like Neo in The Matrix.

Pick the wrong one and you’ll be explaining “why you lied” during an audit. That’s not fun.

Step 3: File for Operating Authority (OP-1 Form in URS)
 Do it online. Keep your story straight. The FMCSA checks things like your company name, address, EIN, and soul.

Step 4: Pay the $300 Filing Fee
 Non-refundable. Yes, even if you “accidentally hit submit twice.”

Step 5: Get Insurance Like a Real Company

  • HHG Carriers must file bodily injury and property damage (BIPD) and cargo insurance.
  • Brokers don’t need cargo insurance, but they must post a $75,000 broker bond (BMC-84) or trust agreement (BMC-85).

Insurance is filed electronically by your provider using Form BMC-91X and BMC-34. Nothing is real until it shows up in FMCSA records.

⏰ The Insurance Ping-Pong Warning: This is the step where most applications stall out. Your insurance agent files your forms, but it can take days for the FMCSA’s system to “talk” to the insurance company’s system. You cannot proceed until this paperwork is officially logged by the FMCSA. Do not rely on a binder or an email from your agent – check the FMCSA SAFER system yourself.

Step 6: File Form BOC-3
 This designates a process agent – someone who accepts legal paperwork for you when customers get spicy. Do it online. Takes 2 minutes. No excuses.

Step 7: Wait for Activation
 FMCSA posts your authority publicly after a 10-day protest period. Think of it as your hazing ritual into legality. As long as your insurance (Step 5) and process agent (Step 6) are both filed and showing up as active in the system, you should be granted your authority immediately after this 10 days is up.

Step 8: Start Complying Before You Start Driving

  • Welcome to the New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. FMCSA will audit you within 12 months.
  • You must keep driver qualification files, vehicle maintenance records, insurance proof, accident registers – all the stuff you thought you could skip. You cannot.
  • File MCS-150 updates every two years or your USDOT number goes on life support.
  1. Let CSI Do It For You. (Or, “just pay the experts.”)

For $600 you get to keep your weekend, your sanity, and avoid a metric ton of frustration. Seriously, skip the government headache and the whole FMCSA circus, outsource this tedious, time-sucking step to the CSI pros who live and breathe it. You focus on moves; we deal with forms written by people who’ve clearly never lifted a sofa. We consider it an investment in your peace of mind. Totally worth it.

Special Notes for Brokers

  • You cannot touch, transport, or supervise freight. You’re a matchmaker, not a mover.
  • Any broker promising “we’ll take care of your move personally” is one audit away from Netflix documentary territory.
  • Keep carrier records, confirm safety ratings, and verify insurance – every time. Shady carriers = lawsuits + migraines.

Scary (but real) FMCSA Reminder

FMCSA is cracking down on illegal HHG carriers and rogue brokers using sting operations. If your business looks like a side hustle instead of a licensed carrier, congratulations – you’re already on their list.

Final Words of Wisdom

  • This isn’t hard – it’s just government-annoying.
  • Do the steps. Keep the records. Avoid fines.

And for the love of all things bubble-wrapped: never let your cousin Carl submit your FMCSA forms. He still thinks USDOT stands for “United States Delivery of Trucks.”