BOC-3 for reactivating an MC number
FMCSA reinstates an MC only when a BOC-3 and your insurance are on file, and it charges $80 for the request. You need a new BOC-3 only if yours was cancelled or your process agent is gone, so check your record in FMCSA's Motus public search first. If you do need one, it's $75 flat, filed the same business day. Details: BOC-3 after authority reinstatement.
When reactivation needs a new BOC-3
Per FMCSA's reinstatement FAQ, a BOC-3 has to be on file before FMCSA reinstates your authority, and the request costs $80. Revocation doesn't cancel a BOC-3 by itself, so many carriers already have a valid one. You need a new filing when:
- Original process agent has dropped out of FMCSA's process-agent registry
- Carrier name or principal place of business has changed during the deactivation
- Original BOC-3 was filed under a since-merged process agent and the corporate succession isn't cleanly recorded
- Your process agent cancelled the BOC-3 (for example, over an unpaid annual fee)
If one of those applies, a new BOC-3 ($75 one-time, no FMCSA fee) is filed by a registered blanket process-agent company and replaces the old one. Reinstatement can't be requested at all after a final unsatisfactory (UNSAT/UNFIT) safety rating or an imminent-hazard out-of-service order. If your authority is still active but the agent itself has gone missing - or FMCSA has sent an Order to Show Cause over an invalid BOC-3 - the process-agent replacement page covers that 30-day cure path.
What’s included in our $75 service
- FMCSA Form BOC-3 filed by a registered blanket process-agent company on FMCSA's list (49 CFR §366.4T)
- Blanket process agent coverage in all 50 states + D.C.
- Lifetime designation - no annual renewal, no recurring fee
- Refile-or-refund guarantee: if FMCSA rejects your filing because of an error on our side, it is refiled free, and if it still can’t be fixed, we refund your $75
- Same-day filing on weekdays before 4 PM Eastern
- Compatible with all common reactivation scenarios - revocation, voluntary deactivation, lost-insurance, name change
The full reinstatement workflow (civil penalty payment, BMC-91 refile, OP-1 reactivation paperwork, new-entrant audit if applicable) is handled through FastReinstatementFiling. The BOC-3 is one filing inside that workflow - but a critical one, so file your BOC-3 early to keep the reactivation moving.
How fast it gets filed
Orders placed by 4 PM ET on a business day are filed that day; later orders are filed the next business morning. A filed BOC-3 typically shows in FMCSA's Motus public search within about one business day.
FMCSA says reinstated authority is typically active within a week of receiving the request and a valid payment, once the required filings are on record; FMCSA controls that timing. See the how-long-does-boc-3-take FAQ for FMCSA-side timing detail and do I need a BOC-3 for the underlying rule.
Pricing
One-time, lifetime designation, all 50 states + D.C. Filed the same business day.
Start filingReactivation BOC-3 questions
My MC was revoked - do I need a new BOC-3 to reinstate?
Not always. Revocation doesn't cancel a BOC-3 on its own, and FMCSA only needs a BOC-3 on file to reinstate. Check your record in FMCSA's Motus public search (USDOT number or company name). You need a new BOC-3 if yours was cancelled, your process agent is no longer on FMCSA's list, or your company name changed.
How does BOC-3 fit with the broader reinstatement process?
FMCSA's reinstatement request costs $80 and is submitted through your FMCSA Portal account or with Form MCSA-5889. Before FMCSA reinstates, your insurance and a BOC-3 must be on file, and motor carriers need an active USDOT number with current information. FMCSA doesn't accept reinstatement requests after a final unsatisfactory (UNSAT/UNFIT) rating or an imminent-hazard out-of-service order.
I voluntarily deactivated last year - is the original BOC-3 still good?
Sometimes. If your original process agent is still on file, still in the FMCSA process-agent registry, and still maintains coverage in every state, the original BOC-3 may still be valid. But many carriers find that during a 12-24 month deactivation, the original process agent has either withdrawn its FMCSA process-agent registration, merged with another company, or simply disappeared from the FMCSA list. Filing a fresh BOC-3 with a known active provider is the cleanest way to remove that question from the reactivation path.
Other BOC-3 contexts we cover
You might also need
- Full MC reinstatement service - FastReinstatementFiling
- UCR registration after reactivation - FastUCRFiling