How many carriers are past due on the MCS-150?

Research by Emmanuel Badu, Managing Director, MCS-150 Update. Figures are recomputed from FMCSA's census on the 1st of each month; last refreshed September 30, 2026, using the census as of September 28, 2026.

Our findings

• Most interstate carriers are on schedule. Of 627,166 active interstate carriers we could check, 601,598 (95.9%) met their most recent deadline.
• Small carriers fall behind most. 6.2% of one-truck carriers are past due, several times the rate of larger fleets. They account for 20,761 of the 25,568.
• Most gaps are recent. 22,334 of the past-due interstate carriers (87.4%) last updated less than five years ago: a lapse of one or two cycles, not a long-forgotten record.
• Census updates fell after the move to Motus. From June to September 2026 the census recorded about 89% fewer MCS-150 updates a month than from January to April. That's why deadlines since June aren't counted here.
• Intrastate records are much staler. 671,080 intrastate carriers still marked active are past due, and 371,550 of them last updated more than ten years ago. Many are likely carriers that stopped operating without telling FMCSA.

By fleet size (interstate)

Power units as reported on each carrier's MCS-150. A carrier that reported none is counted with one truck.

MCS-150 updates reaching the census, by month

Active carriers whose latest MCS-150 date falls in each month. FMCSA moved registration into Motus in May 2026. The latest month is partial.

By state (interstate)

Carriers are grouped by their physical address. Sorted by past-due rate. Download the table as CSV.

Intrastate carriers

Carriers that operate only within one state also carry a USDOT number and file the MCS-150. Their records in the census are far staler:

Records that haven't changed in a decade are more likely closed businesses than active carriers ignoring the rule, so we don't combine them with the interstate figures.

Industry statistics (FMCSA)

Figures published by FMCSA, for context. They're not from our research; each links to its source with the date its data was taken.

FMCSA counts 2,122,441 active carriers; our count of active carriers with a US address (2,210,680 interstate and intrastate) differs because the census snapshot is a month newer and FMCSA applies its own definition of active. Checked on FMCSA's site September 30, 2026.

How we counted

• Data: FMCSA's company census as of September 28, 2026, 4,509,823 USDOT numbers. We counted carriers with an active USDOT status and a physical address in a US state or DC: 688,314 interstate and 1,522,366 intrastate.
• Schedule: each carrier's deadline comes from its USDOT number under 49 CFR 390.19T(b): the last digit sets the month and the next-to-last digit sets odd or even years. See due dates.
• Past due: no update in the 24 months before the carrier's most recent deadline, where that deadline fell before June 1, 2026.
• Left out: 26,507 interstate carriers with a deadline since June 1, 2026 and no update yet, and 34,641 with no MCS-150 date in the census. Rates use only the carriers we could check.
• Limits: the census can lag filings, and a carrier that filed recently may still show an old date. These are counts of records, not a finding about any company. We publish totals only and never name a carrier.

Changes to this page

• September 30, 2026: First published, from FMCSA's census as of September 28, 2026.
• September 30, 2026: Added FMCSA industry statistics with their sources and dates, the author, and this change log.
• Every month: figures recomputed automatically (last on September 30, 2026).

To check one carrier, look up its USDOT number. To be reminded before each of your own deadlines, see MCS-150 deadline reminders.