Get your authority active. Same-day BOC-3 filing.

A BOC-3 is an FMCSA filing that names a process agent in every state authorized to accept legal service for an interstate motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder. The FMCSA requires it under 49 CFR §366 before your operating authority can go active. Without it, your MC or FF number is issued but cannot be used.

FMCSA charges nothing to file a BOC-3; what you pay is the process-agent service that files it. Some charge a yearly fee (for example $25 or $59 a year), others a one-time fee, based on prices we checked on Sep 27, 2026. FastBOC3 charges $75 once, and your BOC-3 is filed the same business day for orders by 4 PM ET. You pay again only if you change process agents or your legal name or MC number changes; a routine address change is an MCS-150 update, not a new BOC-3. Our cost guide compares published prices.

The $75 is a one-time payment, and a BOC-3 does not expire. There is no subscription, no stored card and no annual invoice from FastBOC3, and the FMCSA charges no federal or renewal fee for the BOC-3 itself. Once accepted, the designation stays on file until a new one replaces it. You only need a new BOC-3 if your legal company name changes, your MC number changes, or your designated process agent changes (or its registration lapses); a routine address change is an MCS-150 update, not a BOC-3 refile.

Yes. Your authority status on SAFER will show "NOT AUTHORIZED" until your BOC-3 and your insurance or bond are on file with FMCSA and FMCSA has completed its review. Brokers, shippers, and load boards check this status before working with you. The BOC-3 is usually one of the last filings before your authority goes active.

A filed BOC-3 typically shows in FMCSA's Motus public search within about one business day. Your authority goes active once FMCSA has your BOC-3 and your insurance or bond on file and has completed its review of your application, which runs on FMCSA's own schedule. Orders placed by 4 PM ET on a business day (Monday to Friday) are filed that day; orders placed after the cutoff, on a weekend or on a federal holiday are filed the next business morning, and you'll receive an email confirmation when it's filed. See where to check your BOC-3.

No. SAFER shows your USDOT registration and operating-authority status, not your BOC-3. The BOC-3 shows in FMCSA's Motus public search: search your USDOT number or company name, open your operating authority, then the “Process Agent (BOC-3) Details” tab. It usually appears within about one business day of filing.

You can order anytime. Orders placed by 4 PM ET on a business day are filed that day. Orders after 4 PM ET are filed the next business morning. Orders placed on a weekend or a federal holiday are filed the next business day.

Blanket coverage means one BOC-3 filing designates a process agent in every state, instead of a separate filing or fee for each state. Some services charge per state or cover only certain regions. Our $75 flat fee is the complete price and covers all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. - including Alaska and Hawaii - with no per-state add-ons.

It depends on your authority: motor carriers must have a process agent file their BOC-3, while brokers and freight forwarders without trucks may file their own, per FMCSA's Form BOC-3 page. Most carriers use a blanket process agent so one filing covers every state.

Without a BOC-3 on file, your FMCSA authority shows "NOT AUTHORIZED" on SAFER and you cannot legally haul freight for hire interstate. An existing authority can also be suspended if the designation lapses, and brokers, shippers, and load boards check that status before they work with a carrier.