Stuck in Motus? Here’s What’s Going Wrong and How to Fix It

By
Amy Chavez
–

Motus has been live for about a month, and thousands of carriers are stuck. FMCSA’s new USDOT registration system launched in mid-May to replace the old portals. The long-term idea is solid: one secure place for your registration and filings. The launch has been rough.
The system is a real upgrade with real problems right now. Here is the honest rundown and what you can actually do about it.

https://youtu.be/hGuwfBdJZbI
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Episode Highlights

What’s Going Wrong

The claiming bug. A lot of carriers cannot claim and link their USDOT number, which locks them out of their own records.

Identity verification failures. The new login checks are rejecting people over small things, a name that does not match exactly, a blurry ID photo, or the QR code looping.

Insurance filings frozen. New filings and renewals have stalled.

The system crashing. Long load times, frozen screens, and “Status Code 500” errors.

If this happened to you, it is not your fault and you are not alone.

What You Can Do Right Now

Do not panic about your biennial update. FMCSA suspended shutting off USDOT numbers for missed MCS-150 updates during this period. A Motus error will not cost you your number.

Be careful retrying identity verification. Do not keep hitting retry, because too many attempts can lock you out. First, make sure your legal name matches exactly in three places: your government ID, your Login.gov account, and your FMCSA profile. Middle initials, hyphens, everything. Then try again.

Check your authority on the public search. Even if your dashboard looks broken, the public Motus search tool shows what brokers and shippers actually see about your authority.

Contact support. FMCSA extended its call center hours to handle the volume. You can call or file a help ticket online.

And document everything. Screenshot the errors and note the date. It helps when you talk to support.

Why This Matters for Your Cash Flow

If your authority is not showing correctly, or an insurance filing is stuck, brokers and shippers may not be able to verify you. That can stall your loads and your pay. A system glitch can become a cash flow problem fast.

The Bottom Line

Motus is a step forward working through a hard launch. Do not panic about your biennial update, fix your name before retrying verification, check your authority on the public search, and use support when you need it. If you have not claimed your record yet, our step-by-step walkthrough shows you how.

Why This Matters for Your Cash Flow

Your registration status is tied directly to your ability to get paid. Brokers and shippers verify your authority before they book you. If your record is inactive, suspended, or out of date, loads dry up and payments stop with them.

Keeping your information current in Motus is not just a compliance task. It protects your ability to keep hauling and keep cash moving.

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Full Transcript

HRN June 28th

[00:00:00]

Motus has been live for about a month, and thousands of carriers are now stuck

Here’s what’s going wrong and what to do about it From This Week in Trekking, this is Hot Right Now, and I’m Amy Before we start, don’t forget to hit subscribe

We break down the things that actually affect your business. So let’s get into it

As you might know, MOTUS is the FMCSA’s new system for managing your USDOT registration

It launched mid-May and replaced old portals

The idea is good. One secure place for registration and filing but the launch has been rough

The system is a real upgrade, but it has real problems right now

Here’s the honest rundown

The claiming bug

a lot of carriers cannot claim and link their USDOT number

which locks them out of their own records identity verification failing

The login checks are rejecting people over small things

A name that doesn’t match exactly, a blurry ID photo or the QR code looping

The system crashing like long load times, frozen screens

And your very well-known

Do not panic about your

The FMCSA has suspended shutting off [00:01:00] USDOT numbers for missed MCS 150 updates. During this period

So a modus error will not cost you your number

Number two, be careful when retrying identity verification. Do not keep hitting retry because too many attempts can lock you out Make sure your legal name matches exactly in three places your government ID your login.gov account, and your FMCSA profile

Middle initials, hyphens, everything. Then try again

Third, check your authority on public search Even if your dashboard looks broken

The Public MOTUS Search Tool

shows what brokers and shippers actually see about your authority Lastly, contact support

The FMCSA has extended its call center hours to handle this volume

You can call Or file a help ticket online I’ll leave you the link below where you can do that

Make sure to screenshot the errors and note the date when you had these issues. This helps you when talking to support

So while Modus is working through a hard launch

You can try fixing your name details before retrying verification, checking your [00:02:00] authority on public search And be sure to use support if you need it

if you have not claimed your record yet, be sure to watch our last video where I walk you through the steps to log in. Remember, if you like quick updates like this, we have a free newsletter where you can get the hottest freight markets to your inbox every week for free.

We also send you broker alerts so you can avoid the shady players in the industry. don’t forget to subscribe to the channel and drive safe

Amy Chavez Avatar

Article By

Amy Chavez
Amy is the editor and producer of the This Week In Trucking podcast alongside managing social media content with a focus on providing helpful information and clear communication. She enjoys making content that informs and connects, helping audiences engage with stories that matter.

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