Summary: A new wave of errors in FMCSA’s Motus registration system has knocked thousands of carriers offline. An analysis by Central Analysis Bureau and Commercial Carrier Journal found more than 6,475 companies whose required liability insurance jumped from $750,000 or less to $1 million or more, which triggered involuntary authority suspensions. If you run under your own authority, check your Motus record before your next load.
What happened
On October 29, 2026, Commercial Carrier Journal reported the case of Dynamic MD, a 13-year-old flatbed and step deck carrier in Carol Stream, Illinois, with 50 trucks and drivers. On Tuesday, October 27, the company found that Motus had reclassified it from general freight to hazardous materials. The same screen showed its status as “Inactive – Involuntary Suspension.”
The reclassification raised the carrier’s minimum liability requirement to $1 million. Its active $750,000 bodily injury and property damage (BIPD) filing, which is the right limit for the freight it actually hauls, was suddenly treated as too low, and the company was grounded. The owner told CCJ that FMCSA never notified him of a problem.
Dynamic MD was not alone. Central Analysis Bureau (CAB) and CCJ found more than 6,475 companies with BIPD changes from $750,000 or below to $1 million and above that led to involuntary suspensions. Roughly 6,000 of those changes were processed on October 27 or later that same week. CAB said arbitrary changes to insurance limits are one of the more common problems Motus users run into. Motus has been FMCSA’s registration system since its launch in May, and small fleets have reported wrong suspensions, wrong insurance filings and lockouts ever since.
FMCSA has acknowledged the trouble. Speaking at the WEX OTR Summit on October 28, FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Steve Dowling said about 95% of carrier registrations in Motus are working correctly, according to Overdrive. For the other 5%, he said, “That’s not acceptable to us,” and added that the agency is working on updates. No date for a full fix has been announced.
What it means for owner-operators and small fleets
A suspended authority shows as inactive to every broker and shipper who checks it. That means no loads until the record is fixed, even if your insurance is active and correct. For a one-truck or five-truck operation, a few days down can wipe out a week’s margin, and fixed costs like the truck note and insurance keep running while you wait.
The bigger lesson is that your authority can change without anything you did. A wrong operation type, such as being listed as a hazmat carrier when you haul general freight, can raise your required coverage overnight. Under federal rules, most general freight carriers with trucks over 10,001 pounds need $750,000 in liability coverage, while hazmat carriers need $1 million or more. So a single wrong field in Motus can put a fully insured carrier out of service. This comes during an already hard year for small carriers, with 221 trucking bankruptcies so far, as we covered in our post on how small carriers can stay afloat.
Action steps for this week
- Check your Motus record now. Look at your authority status, your listed operation type and cargo, and the required liability amount. Do it before you book your next load, not after a broker rejects you.
- Match it against your insurance. Ask your insurance agent to confirm the BIPD amount filed with FMCSA. If Motus shows $1 million and you do not haul hazmat, the record is wrong and needs correcting.
- Open a support ticket right away. FMCSA directs Motus users who need help to submit a support request through its online ticket system. Follow up on it regularly, since some carriers report needing several tickets.
- Keep proof of everything. Save screenshots of your status page, your insurance filing and every ticket number. This record helps when a broker, shipper or inspector questions your authority.
- Tell your brokers before they find out. A quick call explaining a system error, with your proof attached, keeps relationships intact while the fix is pending.
- If you are leased on, ask your carrier. Make sure the authority you run under has been checked too.
- Check again every week. These errors can appear at any time, so make an authority and insurance check part of your weekly routine.
How Runnex helps
Paperwork and compliance are part of our truck dispatch services. We keep an eye on your carrier packet, insurance documents and authority details so brokers get clean, current paperwork, and we flag problems early so you are not finding out at the shipper. Our dispatchers also handle broker communication, so if a system error hits your authority, someone is already talking to your brokers while you deal with the fix. Owner-operators and small fleets running Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed, Step Deck, HotShot or Power Only can see the full list of dispatch and compliance support services we offer. For more on recent FMCSA changes, read our guide to the FMCSA ELD crackdown.
FAQ
Why would Motus suspend my authority if my insurance is active?
In the cases reported this week, Motus raised the carrier’s required liability amount, often from $750,000 to $1 million. The insurance on file stayed active but no longer met the new requirement, so the system marked the authority as involuntarily suspended.
How do I know if my carrier was affected?
Log in to Motus and check your authority status, operation classification and required BIPD amount. Then compare the required amount with the coverage your insurance agent has filed.
What should I do if I was suspended by mistake?
Submit a support request through FMCSA’s ticket system, keep screenshots and ticket numbers, ask your insurance agent to confirm your filing, and let your brokers know about the error with your proof.
Has FMCSA said when Motus will be fixed?
Not yet. FMCSA’s chief safety officer said on October 28 that about 95% of registrations are working and that updates are coming, but no date for a full repair has been given.
Keep your truck moving
Do not let a paperwork error park your truck. Contact Runnex Logistics or call (574) 240 6239 to talk with a dispatcher about compliance support, broker communication and steady loads.
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