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Independent Help If Your Email Was Registered as a Transportation Service Provider in Motus

This site is not affiliated with FMCSA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Login.gov, or any government agency. It is an independent help site. The official Motus system is motus.dot.gov.

Carriers who registered as a supporting company by mistake can find they cannot claim their own USDOT number. FMCSA has posted a notice about this.

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Last reviewed November 15, 2026, against FMCSA's public pages.

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What FMCSA's Resources Hub says

Under the heading "Inability to Claim USDOT Record as TSP Supporting Company," FMCSA's Resources Hub says: "If you are a carrier and your email address was inadvertently registered for the Transportation Service Provider role in Motus, you can close the TSP account." (Checked November 15, 2026. The hub can change, so read it again before you act.)

Why this happens

Motus has separate paths for registrants (carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and others) and for supporting companies, which FMCSA says include transportation service providers, blanket companies, and financial responsibility filers. If the carrier's email went down the supporting-company path, that email is tied to the wrong kind of account.

What to do

  1. Read the current notice on FMCSA's Resources Hub.Why it takes time: The notice can change, so check it each time.
  2. If it still says so, close the mistaken TSP account.Why it takes time: You need to be sure which account is the mistaken TSP one before you close it.
  3. Then claim your USDOT number with the company official's email. See how to claim your USDOT number.Why it takes time: Claiming has its own steps, including the identity check and certifications.
  4. If the claim still fails, see if you cannot claim your USDOT number.Why it takes time: If it still fails, you go back through the earlier checks.

Rather not work through every step yourself? A Personal Compliance Specialist can prepare and file the parts that can be handed off.

Consult with a Compliance Specialist

Do not delete things and reapply in a way that creates a second USDOT number.

FMCSA's own help

These are FMCSA's contact options, not ours. FMCSA lists its Registration Customer Service Center at 1-800-832-5660 (phone or chat) and asks people to report Motus problems through a support ticket at ask.fmcsa.dot.gov, then follow up on that ticket instead of opening duplicates. Check FMCSA's notice for current hours.

If you want a person to walk through it with you, see optional help.

Do it yourself, or hand it off

Do it yourself in Motus

  • No FMCSA charge for a USDOT number or for updates. Government fees still apply to things like operating authority.
  • You handle every screen, form and certification.
  • You track recurring deadlines, such as the biennial update, yourself.

Have a Personal Compliance Specialist handle it

  • A paid, optional service. The fee is quoted before work starts and is separate from government fees.
  • Once you designate them in Motus as a service provider, they can prepare filings and do data entry for you.
  • You still complete your own identity check and the final certification. No one can speed up FMCSA's review.

Related guides

Where this information comes from

We write these guides from FMCSA's public pages and update them when FMCSA changes its guidance. Check the source before you act:

Questions people ask

Why can't I claim my USDOT number after I registered as a supporting company?

FMCSA's Resources Hub says an email inadvertently registered in the Transportation Service Provider role can block claiming, and that the carrier can close the TSP account.

Will closing the TSP account delete my USDOT number?

The hub talks about closing the TSP account, not the carrier's USDOT record. It does not describe other side effects. Read the current notice before you act.

Should I register again under a new email instead?

Be careful. A new email can make claiming harder if it is not the email the company official used in the FMCSA Portal. FMCSA's notice points to closing the mistaken TSP account.

Is a transportation service provider the same as a motor carrier?

No. FMCSA lists transportation service providers as supporting companies, alongside blanket companies and financial responsibility filers. Motor carriers are registrants.

Can this site close the TSP account for me?

No. This site cannot sign in as you or change your Motus account. Follow FMCSA's notice, or contact FMCSA.

Rather not work through every step yourself? A Personal Compliance Specialist can prepare and file the parts that can be handed off.

Consult with a Compliance Specialist
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