A▮▮AuthorityStuck

Case 08 · Motus problem file

BOC-3 missing or purged in Motus

SUSPENDED  Readout first. Full fix below. This page asks for nothing — no login, no PIN, no email.

What it means
FMCSA has no BOC-3 on your record. The BOC-3 is the form designating your process agent — the company that accepts legal papers for you in every state. No BOC-3 on file means your authority cannot stay active, and in the Motus migration BOC-3 forms were purged from records in bulk (documented September 2026).
Whose side the fix is on
Your process agent's — only they (or another BOC-3 blanket company) can file it. Carriers cannot file their own BOC-3
First move
Call your BOC-3 process agent and ask them to confirm whether their filing for your company is on the Motus record — and to re-file it in Motus if it isn't. This is a ten-minute call, not an FMCSA ticket.
Attach first
For the agent: your USDOT number, legal name exactly as on the record, and your BOC-3 account details. For brokers: the agent's re-filing confirmation once you have it.
Realistic wait
Agent re-filing is fast on their side; posting to your record rides the same intake backlog as insurance filings — days in fall 2026 conditions.
Escalation ladder
Process agent re-files → confirm posting on your record → if the agent is unresponsive or out of business, engage a new BOC-3 blanket company (filings run $70–$95 through services, read October 2026) and have them file fresh.

Sound familiar?

What's actually happening

The BOC-3 is filed by blanket companies — process agents who file one blanket designation covering all their carrier clients. When Motus replaced the Licensing & Insurance system, those blanket filings had to land on the new records, and CCJ documented the system purging BOC-3 forms, deactivating DOT numbers and dockets in the process (September 2026). Nothing about your company changed; the filing underneath it disappeared.

The fix, in order

  1. Confirm it's really missingCheck your record's BOC-3/process-agent status in Motus or SAFER. 'Insurance fine, authority inactive' with no BOC-3 listed is the migration signature.
  2. Call your process agentTell them FMCSA's Motus record shows no BOC-3 for your USDOT and ask for re-filing in Motus plus a written confirmation when it's transmitted. Get the confirmation — brokers will ask for it.
  3. If you don't know who your agent isYour authority paperwork or your insurance agent can usually name the blanket company. If the agent is gone, any BOC-3 blanket company can file a fresh designation; you are not locked to the original filer.
  4. Verify the postingRecheck the record after the agent confirms transmission. If a confirmed filing doesn't post within about a week, ticket FMCSA with the agent's confirmation attached — that's now an intake error, not a filing gap.

Read the label

Carrier-reported, not in FMCSA's guides: because the purge was bulk, some blanket companies re-filed proactively for all clients and some waited to be asked. A carrier who called got filed ahead of a carrier who waited — this is one problem where the squeaky wheel is the documented faster path.

Questions carriers ask about this one

Can I file my own BOC-3 in Motus?

No. BOC-3 designations are filed by process agents (blanket companies) — that has not changed under Motus. Your lever is the agent: confirm, re-file, get written confirmation.

Does a missing BOC-3 really suspend authority?

Yes. The BOC-3 is a condition of operating authority. Insurance posting correctly does not cure a missing BOC-3, which is why 'insured but suspended' cases so often trace back here.

What does a new BOC-3 filing cost if my agent is gone?

Through filing services, BOC-3 filings were priced $70–$95 when read in October 2026. Blanket companies also sell the designation as part of authority packages. Either way it is a small filing — the cost of the problem is the downtime, not the form.

This problem, fully worked

The free readout above tells you where you stand. The Playbook works this case end-to-end: the expanded walkthrough, the copy-paste ticket template with the exact fields FMCSA requests, and the escalation scripts for when the queue stalls. The agent call script, the re-filing confirmation checklist (what the written confirmation must show), and the broker update note for the days the filing is posting.

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