How Much Does a BOC-3 Filing Cost?

The BOC-3 itself has no government fee. The money goes to the process-agent company that files it and stays named on it, and providers bill that in two ways: once, or every year. Below are the published prices we checked, what they add up to over five years, and what else a new authority costs. If you already know you want it done, our $75 BOC-3 filing service files yours the same business day for orders before 4 PM ET.

How Much Does a BOC-3 Cost?

FMCSA doesn't charge a fee to file a BOC-3. What you pay is the process-agent service. These are the prices each provider shows on its own BOC-3 page:

Prices change. Check the provider's own page before you buy, and try the BOC-3 cost calculator to compare a yearly fee with a one-time fee over the years you expect to operate.

Cheapest BOC-3 Filing: Total Cost Over 1, 2, 3, and 5 Years

A BOC-3 stays on file until a new one replaces it (49 CFR 366.6T), so the fair comparison is what you pay over the time you hold authority. Using the verified prices above:

A $25 yearly fee is the cheapest option for the first two years and matches $75 in year three. From year four, a one-time fee costs less. If you expect to run for only a year or two, yearly billing can be the better deal.

Why do some process agents charge $20–$25?

Mostly because they bill every year. A low yearly fee spreads the cost of keeping agents in every state across the years you stay a customer, the same way a subscription does. Process Agent LLC's $25 a year is a legitimate model: you get the same federal designation, and you pay for it in smaller pieces.

What to check with any low price, yearly or not: which company is named on your BOC-3 (it should be on FMCSA's process-agent list), whether all 50 states and D.C. are covered, and what happens if a renewal payment fails. If a yearly provider withdraws because a renewal went unpaid, FMCSA can send an Order to Show Cause and give you 30 days to file a new BOC-3 before it may suspend your authority (FMCSA policy MC-RS-2019-0002).

Typical BOC-3 Filing Costs

• Yearly billing: $25 and $59 a year are the two yearly prices we verified.
• One-time billing: $75 with FastBOC3; other providers also offer one-time pricing.
• Price shown without billing terms: $50 and $99 in our check; ask before you pay.
• Brokers and freight forwarders without trucks that file their own: no FMCSA fee, but they still need an agent in every required state (see below).

Who pays for the BOC-3?

Usually the carrier, broker, or freight forwarder named on the authority. A dispatcher or authority-setup company can pay for it, and some include it in a startup package, but the designation is filed in your name and the duty to keep a valid process agent on file stays with you (49 CFR 366.4T). If someone else set it up, find out which process agent is named and whether the account is in your name, so it doesn't lapse when that relationship ends.

What Affects the Price

• One-time or yearly billing. The biggest difference over time, as the table above shows.
• Who you buy from. Some sellers are the blanket company named on your BOC-3; others, like us, are a service you order through while a partner blanket company completes the filing. See what a process agent is.
• Bundles. Some authority or compliance packages include a BOC-3 in a larger price.
• Extras. Things like document storage or authority monitoring may be priced separately.

Hidden Costs to Watch For

• Renewals you didn't notice.Check whether the checkout price repeats every year and how you're reminded. Does a BOC-3 expire? No; see does a BOC-3 expire.
• Forwarding fees. Ask whether sending you served court papers costs extra.
• Rush fees. Ask whether same-day filing is included or an add-on. It is included in our $75.
• Switching costs.Changing agents means paying the new provider for a new BOC-3; FMCSA charges nothing, and you don't need the old provider to release anything, because the new filing replaces the old one (49 CFR 366.6T).

Is a BOC-3 ever free?

Sometimes it looks free because it's bundled into a membership or an authority-setup package; the cost is in the larger price. The one case with no process-agent fee at all: FMCSA lets a broker or freight forwarder that doesn't operate trucks file its own BOC-3, while a motor carrier must have a process agent file it (FMCSA Form BOC-3 page). Even then, the broker needs an agent that lives in or has an office in each required state (49 CFR 366.3T), which is why most brokers pay a blanket company anyway. More in can I file my own BOC-3?

Paid vs. free, in short: a paid blanket filing covers every state in one step and someone else keeps the agent list current. A self-filed broker BOC-3 saves the fee but leaves you responsible for finding and keeping an eligible agent in each required state.

How much does a BOC-3 cost for a freight broker?

The same prices apply: blanket companies generally charge brokers what they charge carriers. A broker must name an agent in each state where it has an office or writes contracts (49 CFR 366.4T), and most choose a blanket filing that covers every state. The bigger broker cost is the $75,000 financial security (surety bond or trust fund) required under 49 CFR 387.307.

What else a new authority costs

The BOC-3 is one of several filings. The ones with a fixed, citable amount:

What our $75 includes

• A blanket BOC-3 covering all 50 states and D.C.
• Same-business-day filing for orders before 4 PM ET; it typically shows in FMCSA's Motus public search within about one business day.
• No yearly fee.
• Our 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.

Comparing more than price? See best BOC-3 services.