FMCSA Motus suspended 5,600 carrier authorities in one day over $1 million insurance mismatch

Every carrier suspended on Oct. 27 had operating authority before FMCSA moved registration to Motus in May, according to an Oct. 29 snapshot of Motus records by Central Analysis Bureau (CAB), a sister company of Overdrive. In most cases Motus listed a $1 million liability minimum while the insurer's filing showed $750,000. Federal rules in 49 CFR 387.9 set $750,000 for general freight and $1 million for oil and listed hazardous materials. Nearly 1,000 other carriers had been suspended the same way since July. FMCSA did not explain the Oct. 27 spike to Overdrive or to Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ).

CCJ described one case. Dynamic MD, a 50-truck flatbed and step deck carrier in Carol Stream, Illinois, found on Oct. 27 that Motus had reclassified it as a hazmat hauler. That raised its minimum to $1 million and left its active $750,000 policy short. President Vasile Sorocean said FMCSA never notified him and the reinstatement option in Motus was greyed out. The authority came back two days after CCJ's report, Overdrive said. West Virginia owner-operator Michael Sparks learned of his suspension when a city patrolman in Pennsylvania ran his DOT number. His authority returned Nov. 6 after his insurer corrected its filing. He told Overdrive he lost $8,000 to $10,000 in revenue and is disputing an operating-without-authority violation through DataQs.

Compliance consultant Jeff Davis of Fleet Safety Services advises checking status at least once a week through the Motus public search without logging in, and calling FMCSA's registration line at 800-832-5660 to open a ticket if the record shows inactive. In an Oct. 22 message to Davis, Ken Riddle, director of FMCSA's Office of Registration, wrote that carriers in good standing with no urgent registration need have no reason to enter Motus. FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steve Dowling told CCJ that about 95% of registration activity in Motus is working.