Reinstate or Apply for New Authority?

Reinstating costs a flat $80 FMCSA reinstatement fee (49 CFR §360.3T(f)(52)) plus the cure cost (insurance, BOC-3, MCS-150, or safety plan). Total typically $400-$1,500 depending on cause. Time: 2-7 business days.

A fresh MC application costs $300 (the OP-1 filing fee) plus the new-MC stack ($75 BOC-3, ~$1,500-$3,000/year insurance, $30-$150 UCR, depending on tier). Total $1,500-$4,000 first year. Time: FMCSA lists 20-25 business days of processing for new applicants (longer if the application needs further review), including a 10-day protest window.

Reinstatement preserves the carrier's safety record, audit history, broker onboarding, insurance history, and existing relationships. Fresh authority drops all of those - for good or ill.

The cluster below covers the decision tree: when reinstatement is the right call (most cases), when fresh authority is the right call (carrier wants to escape a bad safety record), and the operational mechanics of both paths.