What causes an MC to be revoked?
Main causes: a lapsed insurance filing (BMC-91/91X), a missing BOC-3 process-agent designation, unpaid civil penalties (49 CFR 386.83), a failed new-entrant safety audit (49 CFR 385.325), an Unsatisfactory safety rating (49 CFR 385.13), and FMCSA enforcement action for serious violations. Each has its own reinstatement path.
Lapsed insurance: 49 CFR Part 387 requires motor carriers to keep financial-responsibility coverage on file. When the insurer cancels the filing and no replacement is on file when the cancellation takes effect, FMCSA revokes the operating authority.
Missing BOC-3: 49 CFR Part 366 requires a process-agent designation on file. If the designation is cancelled and not replaced, the authority can be revoked.
Unpaid civil penalties: a carrier that doesn't pay a final civil penalty, or keep to an agreed payment plan, can be prohibited from operating and have its registration suspended or revoked (49 CFR 386.83).
Failed new-entrant audit: a new entrant that fails the safety audit must submit evidence of corrective action within the window set in 49 CFR 385.319; if it doesn't, or FMCSA doesn't accept it, the registration is revoked (49 CFR 385.325).
Unsatisfactory safety rating: 49 CFR §385.13 grades carriers as Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory based on compliance review findings. An Unsatisfactory rating triggers revocation if not improved through corrective action.
A missed MCS-150 leads to USDOT deactivation (49 CFR 390.19T(b)(4)), fixed by filing the update. FMCSA has temporarily suspended enforcement and USDOT inactivation for biennial updates due on or after June 1, 2026; the update is still required. It is a USDOT-number issue rather than a cause of operating-authority revocation.
Enforcement action: serious violations (hours-of-service, hazmat, fraudulent registration) can lead to FMCSA enforcement action, including out-of-service orders and revocation. These cases typically require substantive operational change before reinstatement is viable.