The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has temporarily suspended the biennial update requirement for carriers that have not completed the filing since June 1, a move that according to FreightWaves suggests the rollout of the new Motus registration portal continues to encounter difficulties.
Suspension of Biennial Update Requirement
The FMCSA announced this week that the requirement for all entities under its jurisdiction to update their information every two years has been temporarily suspended for those unable to complete it since June 1, according to FreightWaves. The agency stated that companies that have passed their biennial update due date without being able to register through Motus “should not worry about inactivation resulting from Motus-related access or system issues.” Further guidance, the agency added, will be released “as recovery and stabilization efforts continue.”
The biennial update mandate, as defined by FMCSA, requires individuals and companies to provide an update every two years even if their information has not changed, they have ceased interstate operations, or are no longer in business and did not notify the agency.
Motus Rollout Problems Continue
The Motus portal, which fully launched on May 14, has had problems almost immediately, according to FreightWaves. FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs earlier this month released a statement describing the rollout as “an extraordinary feat of heavy lifting that involved transferring more than three decades of data across multiple legacy systems to process millions of motor carriers into one unified powerhouse platform,” while downplaying technical issues as “minor technical issues.” However, the latest suspension suggests that problems persist.
According to FreightWaves, the FMCSA's notice of the delay was not released as a newsroom item on the agency's home page but rather published under its registration page.
Industry Reactions and Comments
P. Sean Garney, co-director of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, commented to FreightWaves that the FMCSA's acknowledgment that “recovery and stabilization” is needed is good news. His firm has been working with clients who have struggled with FMCSA access via Motus since its release. When asked if the system has improved, Garney said, “I’ve heard from some carriers that are gingerly moving through the process, getting hung up along the way, but passing through gates. It’s just taking a while.” However, he added that some clients are encountering “conflicting information in various government systems that is absolutely resulting in carriers being unnecessarily unable to operate.”
A social media post on the OwnerOperators subreddit of Reddit, from a user named DOTDefenseTech, called the latest move “a practical move,” noting that many carriers depend on USDOT status for normal business operations such as authority checks, onboarding, insurance, factoring, broker setup, and customer verification. The post warned that “if the system is having access or record issues, inactivating carriers during the transition could create a mess for people who are trying to stay current but cannot get the system to work right.”
New Website for Sharing Issues
According to FreightWaves, the problems with Motus have spurred the creation of a website called “Stuck in Motus” (with the domain stuckwithmotus.com) to share issues and potential solutions. The site was created by Mathieu Vag, founder of HaulClaim, a service that helps carriers with detention issues. Vag said he got the idea from clients sharing tales of woe about the new system. The top of the page says: “Stuck in Motus? You’re not alone.”
Implications for Carriers
For motor carriers and other entities under FMCSA jurisdiction, the temporary suspension provides some relief from the risk of inactivation due to system problems. However, the underlying issues with Motus — including conflicting data and access problems — continue to disrupt operations. Carriers that need to update their information for business reasons (e.g., authority checks, insurance verification) may still face hurdles. The FMCSA's statement that further guidance will be released “as recovery and stabilization efforts continue” indicates that the agency is aware of the ongoing challenges and is working on fixes.
Watch List
- Further FMCSA guidance on biennial update procedures and Motus system stabilization.
- Any additional technical issues or system outages reported by carriers and third parties.
- Potential impact on carrier operations if conflicts between government systems persist.
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