BOC-3 Filings: What a Process Agent Record Tells a Broker

What the designation covers

Under 49 CFR 366.2T, designations are made on Form BOC-3, only one completed current form may be on file, and it must include every state for which a designation is required. Section 366.4T requires a motor carrier to designate an agent for each state in which it is authorized to operate and each state it crosses, and a broker for each state in which it has an office or writes contracts. FMCSA’s process-agent page adds that, until the Unified Registration System provisions are fully implemented, only for-hire carriers among motor carriers must designate one.

Each agent must reside in or maintain an office in the state for which it is designated (366.3T). Associations and corporations may file a blanket list of agents covering each state, and a carrier may designate them by reference (366.5T). FMCSA’s process-agent page listed 74 registered blanket companies when it was read on October 4, 2026.

Sources: 49 CFR part 366: designation of process agent (sections 366.1T to 366.6T); FMCSA: Designation of agents for service of process

The agent is usually a filing company

FMCSA’s BOC-3 form page says only a process agent, on the carrier’s behalf, can file the form for a carrier; a broker or freight forwarder without commercial vehicles may file its own. A post office box is not acceptable as an agent’s address.

The name and address on a carrier’s BOC-3 therefore usually belong to a blanket company, not to the carrier. Do not compare that address with the carrier’s physical address or treat a match with another carrier’s agent as a connection between the two. Which address matches deserve a question is covered in the guide to a shared carrier address.

Sources: FMCSA: Form BOC-3, designation of agents for service of process

Why it matters to authority status

Under 49 CFR 365.109T, an applicant for authority must submit Form BOC-3 within 20 days of the date its application notice is published in the FMCSA Register, alongside its evidence of financial responsibility. After a grant, the designation has to stay on file.

FMCSA’s Motus AuthHist dataset records the consequence when it lapses. A query of its reason field on October 4, 2026 returned 477 rows reading “Involuntary Suspension - BOC-3 cancellation effective; no active process agent (BOC-3) filing on file” and 225 rows where both the BOC-3 and qualifying insurance were missing. The guide to suspended, revoked or inactive authority explains how to read those reasons and dates.

Sources: 49 CFR 365.109T: FMCSA review of the authority application; DOT DataHub: Motus AuthHist, all with history (schema and description)

Where to read it now

FMCSA has moved registration into Motus, which lets public users search an entity’s registration record. The Licensing and Insurance site’s home page states that its registration functions, including changes and filings, were permanently retired on Thursday, May 14, with users directed to Motus; FMCSA’s FAQ dates the Motus launch to all users in May 2026. The L&I carrier search page still loaded on October 4, 2026; whether it continues to reflect new filings was not verified.

DOT DataHub publishes a Motus BOC3 dataset with the agent’s name and address beside the represented entity’s USDOT and docket numbers; it held 160,243 rows on October 4, 2026. VerifyCarrier’s DOT lookup reads that dataset and states either that a BOC-3 process agent is on file or that none is on file in Motus BOC3. The guide to Motus authority data covers how these datasets are refreshed and joined.

Sources: FMCSA: Move into Motus; FMCSA Licensing and Insurance public site: retirement notice for registration functions; DOT DataHub: Motus BOC3, all with history (schema and description)

Reading a BOC-3 in a carrier review

Treat the BOC-3 as one line in the authority check. The BMC forms that prove insurance or a broker’s bond are separate filings, explained in the guide to BMC insurance filing forms.

An illustrative note: “BOC-3 on file in Motus BOC3 for the carrier’s MC docket; agent is a blanket company. Authority active. Agent address not used for identity.”

Three recommended checks:

• Confirm a designation is on file for the docket that matches the role on this load.
• A cancellation without a replacement is a reason to recheck the authority status before tender, not after.
• Do not contact the process agent about dispatch, rates or payment; it represents the carrier only for service of legal papers.

Sources: FMCSA: Designation of agents for service of process