How to get a USDOT number
Researched and written by Daniel Novak · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
Registration runs through the federal Unified Registration System, which issues the USDOT number and, where the company operates for hire, the operating authority docket alongside it. This page describes what the process asks for and what follows it. It is written for someone confirming what a company should have done, as much as for someone doing it.
BestMovers.info holds no fee figure for federal registration, so this page states none. Fees are set by the agency and change, and an out of date number here would be worse than a gap.
Who has to register
A company transporting property for compensation across a state line must be registered before it begins. So must a company arranging that transport as a broker. Several states additionally require a USDOT number for purely intrastate operation, and those requirements are set by the state rather than the federal agency, so they vary.
What the application asks for
- The legal name of the entity, and any trading name it operates under.
- A physical business address. A mailing address alone does not satisfy this.
- The form of the business and its federal tax identification.
- The operation classification and the cargo classes the company intends to carry, household goods among them where that applies.
- Fleet detail: power units and drivers, including whether drivers cross state lines.
- A designated process agent in each state where the company operates, filed on the agency's own form.
- Proof of insurance at the levels the agency requires for the authority sought, filed by the insurer rather than by the applicant.
What happens after the number is issued
A USDOT number is issued on registration. Operating authority is not simultaneous: the application for authority is published, there is a protest period, and the insurance and process agent filings have to be complete before authority is granted. Until that grant, the company has a number and no permission to carry for hire. This is exactly the state a consumer can mistake for a licensed mover.
Registration is not a one time act. The registration form must be updated on a biennial schedule and whenever the filed detail changes, and a company that lets it lapse can have its registration deactivated without any finding against its conduct. That is why a deactivated status by itself is not proof of wrongdoing, and why an active status by itself is not proof of good standing.
New entrant safety monitoring
A newly registered interstate carrier enters a monitoring period during which the agency reviews its safety management before the registration becomes permanent. A carrier still inside that period appears in the public record as a new entrant, which is a factual stage rather than a mark against it. On a household goods move it is a reasonable thing to ask about, alongside the authority status.
Official sources
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a USDOT number cost?
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Does a USDOT number expire?
Do I need a USDOT number for a purely local moving business?
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