U.S. DOT
BIENNIAL UPDATE

The United States Department of Transportation Biennial Update is a federal requirement pertaining to and required of all entities operating under a federally-issued U.S. DOT Number. A U.S. DOT number is a "number" issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that "tags" your vehicles with the federal Department of Transportation thereby making your vehicles available for monitoring and safety performance analysis.

Do I Need a DOT Number?
A U.S. DOT number is required for all vehicles that meet any of the following criteria:

• 10,000+ lbs in GVWR
• Transports 8 or more passengers for compensation
• Transports 15 passengers not for compensation
• Transports Hazardous Materials per 49 CFR 385.403

and operate interstate (cross state lines or transport goods originating from or with a destination outside of the home state). Some states require a federal U.S. DOT number even if the vehicle is involved only in intrastate travel (never crosses state lines). These states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

State Regulations vs Federal Regulations

It is important to differentiate between state and federal regulations. Some states may require a motor carrier to obtain a state DOT number in addition to the federal DOT number... the DOT number is issued by the federal government and therefore all motor carriers operating under such number are subject to federal regulations.

WHEN MUST THE BIENNIAL UPDATE BE FILED?

The Biennial Update has a filing deadline unique to each U.S. DOT number...

EXAMPLE:
U.S. DOT number '384983' ends in the digit '3' which corresponds to the third month of the year, March...