FMCSA GIVES MOTOR CARRIERS OPTION TO REGISTER; UPDATE
INFORMATION ONLINE
The U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) announced that motor carriers having a U.S. DOT
number and their "biennial package" for updating their Motor
Carrier Identification Report form (MCS-150) now can update it
electronically. The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 requires
that the information be updated every two years.
A motor carrier that submits similar information to the
appropriate state commercial motor vehicle (CMV) registration office as
part of its annual vehicle registration requirement under the Performance
and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) does not have to
file that same information again with the FMCSA.
To help motor carriers comply with this requirement,
FMCSA mails a biennial information package to carriers about a month
before they are due to update this information. The package includes a
pre-printed MCS-150 containing the information in FMCSA’s Motor Carrier
Management Information System (MCMIS) Census file, a copy of the
"Highlights: Biennial Update of the MCS-150," and a list of the
FMCSA Division office phone numbers for carriers to contact with
questions.
The electronic on-line registration process to apply
for a USDOT number started on Oct. 1, 2001. All motor carriers operating
in interstate or foreign commerce are required to file the MCS-150 before
beginning operation. Carriers need a valid Visa or MasterCard to act as a
digital signature when applying for a USDOT number electronically. The
Visa or MasterCard is used only for digital signature purposes, and there
is no charge for filling out the application on-line. Verification of the
card will place the cardholder’s name on the MCS-150 as the signature.
Digital signatures are as legally binding as actual signatures.
The website for electronic registration updating is
http://www.safersys.org/. Information from the biennial package (USDOT
number and reference number) will be needed to prove eligibility for this
service. Carriers may update their information without using a credit
card. Carriers domiciled in Mexico are not now eligible to use this
service.
Carriers may also fill out the MCS-150 form by typing
in the appropriate information on-line, printing it and mailing it to the
FMCSA, Data Analysis & Information Systems, MC-RIS, 400 7th
Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or by faxing it to 703-280-4003. |
