FMCSA Motus: Why Your Insurance Can Be Active and Your Authority Still Show Suspended

In May 2026, FMCSA moved trucking registration to a new system called Motus. That includes the insurance filings your insurance company sends to keep your authority active.

For most carriers, the switch went fine. But I've seen it cause real problems. Your policy can be active, paid and filed, and Motus can still show your authority as suspended.

Here's what changed, why it matters for your insurance, and what I'd check on your own record right now. If you want the basics on federal limits and filings first, start with my FMCSA Insurance Requirements guide. This article is about Motus itself.

Prefer to watch? Here's my quick video on why your insurance can be active while your authority shows suspended:

What Is FMCSA Motus?

FMCSA Motus is the agency's new registration system. On May 14, 2026, it replaced the old Unified Registration System, the FMCSA Portal and the old Licensing & Insurance system.

Your USDOT number didn't change. Your MC number didn't go away either, at least not yet. What changed is where everything lives. Your insurance company now sends your BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing through Motus, and that's where FMCSA checks whether your authority has the insurance it needs. My BMC-91 vs BMC-91X vs MCS-90 article explains what each filing is.

The filing forms themselves didn't change. You can see which ones apply to your operation on FMCSA's insurance filing requirements page.

To get into Motus at motus.dot.gov, you need a Login.gov account, and you have to verify your identity and claim your USDOT number the first time you log in. If you haven't claimed your USDOT number yet, do it now, before you need to make a change in a hurry.

Why Can My Authority Show Suspended When My Insurance Is Active?

Because the record in Motus and the policy on your desk don't always match.

Since the switch, trucking publications and data companies have reported a few patterns:

• Filings that are active but not recognized — more than 1,200 carriers were reported in involuntary suspension for insurance while an active filing meeting their minimum was on file.

• Required limits that changed — one analysis found Motus raised the required liability limit on about 150,000 carriers. For roughly 27,000 of them, the filing on file no longer matched. In one case, a carrier that needed $750,000 suddenly showed $5 million required.

• Old filings that didn't get replaced — when you switch insurance companies, the new filing is supposed to replace the old one. Some records show both, or show the wrong one as replaced.

None of this means your policy isn't real. It means the government's record of it can be wrong, and your authority runs off that record.

FMCSA has been fixing records one carrier at a time. Corrected records show an "Administrative correction" status.

Why Is Switching Insurance Companies the Riskiest Time?

Because that's when two filings have to move at once. The new insurance company files, and the old filing has to be replaced. If either one doesn't post right, your record can show a gap that doesn't exist.

I've seen this with my own clients. Several of them bound their new policy the day of, or two days before, the old one ended. The filing went in, and they still got involuntarily suspended.

Most of the time, it gets fixed within a week. But if the carrier never claimed their USDOT number in Motus, or something else on the account wasn't done, the fix can take several weeks, sometimes a few months.

That's why I don't recommend binding a new policy on the last day. Start your renewal early, bind with a few days to spare, and check Motus after the new filing posts. My Truck Insurance Renewal Checklist walks through the timing, and my article on binding before your MC authority activates covers the same issue for new authorities.

How Do I Check My Insurance Filing in Motus?

Log into Motus at motus.dot.gov with your Login.gov account and look at your authority and your insurance together. Checking one without the other is how problems get missed.

• Authority status — it should say active for each authority type you use.

• Required limit vs. limit on file — the required number should match what your operation actually needs. If it jumped, ask why.

• Insurance company and effective date — make sure it's your current insurer, not the old one.

• Old filings — after a switch, your previous insurer's filing should show as replaced or cancelled.

Check it every time something changes: a new policy, a renewal, a new insurer, or a new authority. And if a public lookup site doesn't show your filing, check Motus itself before you panic. Some public data has lagged behind or left records out.

What Do Brokers and Shippers See?

Most brokers don't look at your policy. They look at a screen. Onboarding services like RMIS and Highway pull your FMCSA data, so if Motus shows you suspended, a broker's system can block you even though you're fully insured.

One carrier reported losing about $2,500 in loads that way. If you run Amazon Relay or work with brokers who onboard through RMIS, my article on how Amazon Relay verifies insurance explains how that side works.

What If Motus Shows Something Wrong?

There are two parts to fixing it, and they're handled by different people.

The insurance side is mine. I can confirm with the insurance company that the filing was sent, what limit was filed, and the effective date, and get you proof of it.

The status itself is FMCSA's. Corrections to your authority are made by FMCSA, so reach out to them through Motus or FMCSA customer service with that proof in hand.

How Can Alex Help?

When you renew or switch with me, I make sure the filing goes in early and matches what your authority requires. Then I check that it actually posted.

If Motus already shows something that doesn't match your policy, send me your USDOT number. I'll compare it against your coverage and get you proof of the filing from the insurance company.

Related Resources

• FMCSA Insurance Requirements for Trucking Companies — federal liability minimums, filings and the MCS-90.

• BMC-91 vs BMC-91X vs MCS-90 — what each filing means and who files it.

• When Should You Bind Truck Insurance Before Your MC Authority Activates? — timing your filing as a new authority.

• Truck Insurance Renewal Checklist — what to have ready before your renewal.

• How Does Amazon Relay Verify Insurance? — how RMIS and COIs fit in.

Motus is still being updated, and FMCSA's guidance governs if anything here changes. This article explains the insurance side of Motus only. It isn't legal advice or DOT compliance advice.