BOC-3 Filing: How Process Agents Work for New Carriers

What a process agent does

A process agent is a person or company in a given state who can accept court papers on your behalf. If a shipper in Ohio sues your Texas trucking company over a damaged load, the papers go to your Ohio process agent, who forwards them to you. Without one, the other side has no clean way to serve you in that state, which is why federal law requires the designation before FMCSA lets you operate.

Form BOC-3, Designation of Agents for Service of Process, is the filing that tells FMCSA who your agents are.

Who has to file a BOC-3

FMCSA currently requires a BOC-3 from:

• For-hire motor carriers applying for operating authority, covering each state they operate in or pass through. In practice that means all 48 contiguous states and DC for most carriers.
• Freight brokers, covering each state where they have an office or write contracts.
• Freight forwarders, under the same rule as brokers.

Private carriers and exempt for-hire carriers without operating authority are not required to file one under current practice. FMCSA's regulations describe a future expansion to every registered motor carrier, but those provisions are suspended. The BOC-3 process is also one of the items FMCSA says it will revisit in a later rulemaking, so check this page again if you see news about Motus changes.

How blanket companies file it for you

You can name individual agents state by state, but almost nobody does. A blanket company already has agents in every state and is registered with FMCSA to file for its clients. You sign up with one, give them your legal name, USDOT number, and docket number, and they submit the BOC-3 electronically. FMCSA's process agents page lists the registered blanket companies, 75 of them when we checked in October 2026.

1. Get your docket number first. The blanket company needs your MC number to file against.
2. Pick a company from FMCSA's list. Use the official list so you know the filer is registered.
3. Match your details exactly. Legal name and address must be identical to your FMCSA application.
4. Confirm the filing landed. Check FMCSA's records a few days later, as described below.

File the BOC-3 the same week you apply for authority. FMCSA will not grant authority until it is on file, and it is one of the few steps you fully control. The rest of the order is in how to start a trucking company.

What a BOC-3 costs

FMCSA does not charge a fee for the BOC-3 itself. The cost is whatever the process agent company charges, and FMCSA does not publish a range. For a standard blanket filing it is usually a small one-time fee. Some companies bundle it with other paid services, so read what you are buying. A higher price does not buy a faster grant, because the BOC-3 is not what sets your timeline.

How to confirm your BOC-3 is on file

Look up your USDOT or MC number in FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance (L&I) system. The carrier detail shows whether a BOC-3 is on file and which company filed it. FMCSA treats L&I as the official record of operating authority status. You can also check the Motus public search. If authority is stuck after the protest period, the usual cause is a missing insurance filing or a missing BOC-3, so check both before you call FMCSA.

When you have to update it

• You change your name, address, or contact details. Tell your blanket company within 30 days so they can update the designation.
• You switch blanket companies. The new company files a new BOC-3, which replaces the old one. Only one current BOC-3 can be on file.
• Your blanket company drops you. If the agent terminates the relationship, your designation can disappear, and a for-hire carrier without a BOC-3 risks having its authority revoked. Keep your account in good standing.

Watch for changes you did not make. FMCSA has reported a rise in hijacked carrier accounts and fraudulent registration changes, which is part of why Motus added identity checks. If your BOC-3 filer, address, or contact details change in FMCSA's records without your knowledge, contact FMCSA right away.

The BOC-3 is a one-time filing for most carriers. Your biennial update in Motus and your annual UCR registration are separate and recur. While your authority is pending, it is also a good time to set up your ELD for the new authority, so the truck is ready when MC authority goes active.